A 19-year-old Israeli teenager convicted of murder in Dubai is appealing his life sentence, with his lawyer arguing that he acted in self-defence, Kahleej Times reported. The appeal was filed in court, aiming to challenge the January ruling by the Dubai Court of First Instance that found the teenager guilty of premeditatedly killing a 33-year-old compatriot outside a shisha café in Business Bay in May 2023.
The teenager’s lawyer, Massouma Al Sayegh of Dar Al Balagh Advocates, contended that there was no premeditation involved. “My client was unfoundedly accused of preplanning and premeditatedly murdering the victim. H.Y. (the defendant) didn’t have any deliberate intent to kill the victim,” Al Sayegh argued before the Dubai Appeal Court.
According to Al Sayegh, the altercation began when the victim attacked the teenager with a chair, prompting him to defend himself. “The [victim] initiated the assault when he attacked my client with a chair, and the accused defended himself,” she explained.
In addition to the teenager, five of his friends were also sentenced to 10 years each for aiding and abetting. All six Israeli convicts are to be deported after completing their sentences.
Court documents reveal that the incident started when the victim and his friend arrived at the café where the group was present. The victim’s friend allegedly insulted the defendant’s family, leading to a confrontation. “The two quarrelled. Then the friend walked out, wanting to leave, while H.Y. and his companions followed him. The victim attacked my client with a chair in an attempt to prevent him from chasing the friend — but H.Y. defended himself and stabbed the victim to push him away,” Al Sayegh recounted, emphasizing that there was no intention to kill.
Dubai Police apprehended the suspects less than 24 hours after the murder. Investigations revealed that the murder stemmed from previous disputes and vengeance issues dating back to their time in Israel.
In a new twist, Al Sayegh claimed that the victim had been threatening to kill her client in Israel, which led the teenager to seek refuge and employment in Dubai. “He felt that his life was endangered, so he came here to escape from the victim’s death threats. He was not aware that the victim had been chasing him, or that he was present in Dubai,” she told the court.
The lawyer highlighted her client’s testimony during interrogation, where he stated, “I didn’t intend to premeditatedly kill him, but I was defending myself and pushing him away when he attacked me using the chair … I wanted to fend him off.”
Al Sayegh requested a reduced and lenient punishment based on the defendant’s young age, noting that he was under 21 at the time of the incident. “The accused was born on March 28, 2004, and as per the pertinent laws, the primary court should have considered his young age and handed him a reduced punishment,” she argued.
She also stressed that carrying a weapon was culturally casual for the defendant, asserting that he did not possess the knife with the intent to kill.