Canadian woman and Tunisian boyfriend accused of murdering jealous ex-partner



R Q, a 24-year-old Canadian, gave A B a knife, told him the work address of her former partner, A S, and told him when he would be alone, the court heard.

A B, from Tunis, allegedly slashed the throat of Egyptian A S, 28, intending to kill him, but then strangled him.

R Q and A B deny murder plus charges of consuming drugs, taking psychotropic pills and having sex out of wedlock.

A lawyer representing the victim’s mother was at Wednesday’s trial along with the victim’s sister, who had power of attorney from his father and brother.

They requested the death sentence.

A B claimed he confessed to the murder only after CID assaulted him and threatened him if he did not confess.

A B said: “I did not know the victim before, until now I do not even know what he looks like… the first time I heard his name was during interrogation.

”[The police] kept telling me ‘you killed him’ and I kept saying ‘no’, until I made a mistake and told them I visited a psychiatrist,” he said.

The court asked him to describe his relationship with R Q.

“We were friends for three months and used to go out,” he said.

R Q denied the charges and also claimed she was tortured by CID.

“They also placed me in solitary confinement for two weeks, I could not speak to my family,” R Q said.

“They made me sign [the confession] and I cannot read Arabic.

“I had a long strong friendship with A S for eight years, and four years ago were about to get married but it did not work out,” she said.

“If you see the text messages between me and A S you’ll know we had a very good relationship.”

She added that she knew A B for three months before the incident. She denied introducing A B to the victim.

“You said in your confession you had a relationship with the victim and there were many problems so you complained to A B and then he suddenly met you one day and told you he killed A S, at first you thought he was joking,” the judge said.

R Q said she had already appointed a lawyer who could answer the questions because she did not know what CID wrote in her confession.

The case was adjourned until October 28.

hdajani@thenational.ae

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