Dh144,000 sheep theft case lands in court

Man denies selling woman's sheep for his own profit after looking after them for months.

DUBAI // A man stole 48 sheep worth Dh144,000, a court heard this morning.

MH, 43, a retiree from the Armed Forces, denied the charges before the Dubai Court of Misdemeanours and said he did not steal or sell the sheep. In fact, he argued, the sheep infected and killed many of his own flock.

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He testified that a year ago, MA, 53, a woman who he knew through her husband, called him and asked him to give shelter to her sheep because she had sold her farm.

MA told him she would only need him to look after her sheep for a few days until she found another place for them, he testified.

MH said he met with her driver in Al Huwailat area, and the driver delivered the sheep, which MH did not count. He said he had agreed to look after the animals for a maximum of 15 days, but they stayed with him for eight months. MH said MA continually offered excuses as to why the sheep could not be moved.

After eight months, he continued, her sheep became sick and despite his efforts to save them, including buying medicine, many died, but not before infecting and killing 100 of his flock.

After that, he said, he turned the sheep loose at Al Huwailat mountain.

MA said she asked him to sell the sheep, some of which were worth Dh3,000 to Dh8,000 each.

Her Pakistani driver, AN, testified that the deal was for MH to sell the sheep and send the money to MA.

The court will issue a verdict in July.