Man 'did not know' he was attacking a policeman

The man confessed to attacking the officer but denied knowing he worked for the police.

DUBAI // A man accused of breaking a policeman's leg cried in a Dubai court yesterday, saying he did not know the alleged victim was an officer.

JE, a 31-year-old from Nigeria, confessed to attacking the officer but denied knowing he worked for the police; he was approached by eight men who did not identify themselves or present any ID cards, the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance heard.

"I don't fight with police. I am a father and have two sons - I don't fight with police," JE told the court.

Court records showed that on February 2, 2010 Naif police, acting on a tip, were searching for three Nigerian men trying to use forged credit cards.

Two of the suspects were arrested in the Bani Yas area, records said, and police learnt that a third suspect was staying at a hotel nearby.

That evening a police corporal, FA, was asking about JE in the reception area of the hotel, when the suspect assaulted him, records said.

JE is accused of breaking FA's leg and screaming at him. FA could not defend himself or restrain the suspect because he was alone, his testimony in court records shows.

FA said he notified colleagues stationed nearby, who arrested the man and called an ambulance.

At the hospital, FA needed surgery and a rod implant, and now has a 10 per cent permanent disability in his leg, records show.

A verdict is due on March 3.