Man beat roommate with metal bar on being asked to keep quiet, Dubai court hears

DUBAI // A labourer beat his roommate with a metal bar after being asked to keep quiet, a court heard today.

KA, 42, from Bangladesh, hit his fellow labourer EB, 57, from Pakistan, so hard he had to stay in hospital for the next 17 days. The Pakistani was also left with permanent damage to his knee.

The Criminal Court heard the assault took place soon after the Pakistani returned to his room after a night shift on July 13 last year and asked his roommate to stop making a noise in the kitchen.

"I talked to him politely and asked him to stop making noise so I could sleep," said the Pakistani. He then went to bed, but was woken by a blow to his head. He said he saw the Bangladeshi above him holding the metal bar but he lost consciousness.

The Bangladeshi denied a charge of physical assault. He claimed his roommate had assaulted him with a stick and he was merely defending himself.

"I was holding a tea pot when he attacked me and threw me to the ground, the tea pot knocked me in the head," he told the court.

A verdict is expected on April 29.