A UAE court has ruled that a man who was criminally convicted of deliberately harassing another person through persistent phone calls must pay a total of AED 60,000 in compensation for the moral and emotional harm caused.
The civil court’s decision adds AED 9,000 to the AED 51,000 already awarded to the victim as temporary compensation during earlier criminal proceedings in the same case, according to Khaleej Times.
The victim had filed a civil lawsuit seeking AED 100,000, arguing that the relentless calls over a sustained period were intentional and caused him significant emotional distress. Court records confirmed that the defendant had previously been convicted in a criminal court of knowingly causing nuisance and disturbance through the repeated phone contact.
In the civil proceedings, the defendant moved to have the case dismissed, contending that the conditions for civil liability had not been sufficiently met and that the earlier criminal award had already settled the matter of compensation. The court rejected that position.
The ruling affirmed that a criminal judgment holds legal authority in related civil disputes when it establishes that an offence occurred, defines its legal character, and identifies who bears responsibility. On that basis, the court found the prior conviction directly relevant and applicable to the civil claim.
Having determined that the victim sustained genuine moral harm and emotional suffering as a direct consequence of the defendant’s conduct, the court set total fair compensation at AED 60,000. The defendant was also ordered to cover court fees and legal expenses.
