Man who murdered girlfriend has jail sentence reduced after appeal

Life sentence reduced to 15 years for man who strangled partner in row at their Dubai home

The killing took place in the Al Muraqabbat area in Deira, Dubai. Sarah Dea / The National

A man who strangled his girlfriend at their Dubai home before disposing of her body in a travel bag has had his jail term reduced to 15 years after winning an appeal against an initial life sentence.

The Pakistani man, identified only as MN, aged 27, in court records, strangled his partner after an argument at their apartment in Al Muraqabbat in March last year.

In December, he was convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison – which typically means 25 years – at Dubai Criminal Court.

However, his legal team appealed against the verdict on the grounds he had not intended to kill his partner. Dubai Appeal Court agreed to reduce the sentence.

He will be deported after serving the 15-year sentence. The verdict is subject to appeal, which must be made within 30 days.

During the original court proceedings, the man told prosecutors he went to the kitchen to make tea after the assault and only realised his girlfriend was dead when he returned.

He placed her body in a travel bag and dumped it in a rubbish bin near a fish market in Deira, police said.

Police were alerted to the discovery of the body and launched an investigation, which led to the arrest.

Officers said the man had been planning to leave the country after committing the crime.

The man told police he had been in a relationship with the woman for four months. He said he had given her Dh600 ($163) to pay for visa fees but a dispute occurred when he refused to give her another Dh400.

“I did not intend to kill her,” he told the court. “She was angry and assaulted me before I knocked her on the ground and held her neck with my hands for three minutes.”