A housemaid in Ras Al Khaimah, who was sentenced to death for killing her employer and causing a fire that led to a child’s death in 2010, has been pardoned by the victim’s family after 14 years.
According to a Gulf News report, the Court of Cassation reduced her sentence to 15 years in prison, 14 of which she had already served on death row. The decision came after the victim’s family agreed to forgive her in exchange for Dh700,000 in blood money.
The incident occurred just two weeks after the maid, identified only as “S,” arrived in the UAE from Africa. During an argument in the kitchen, she fatally stabbed her employer 17 times before stealing money and jewellery. To cover up the crime, she set the apartment on fire, resulting in the death of the woman’s one-year-old child, who was sleeping at the time.
Investigators linked her to the crime after discovering the employer’s stab wounds and tracking her to a friend’s house in another emirate. She admitted to the murder, claiming the employer’s repeated poking of her shoulder enraged her. She was convicted of premeditated murder and arson.
Despite failed appeals, the woman spent her time on death row embracing Islam, learning tailoring, and exhibiting good behaviour. With legal assistance, she eventually secured the family’s pardon and had her sentence commuted.
