ABU DHABI // A man who killed a relative at an abandoned house in the capital has been cleared of murder after tests showed he was mentally ill.
The Yemeni took the male relative to the house in 2010 and killed him over an honour issue.
He left the body there and fled home to Yemen. Once there, he called the brothers of the victim and told them what had happened and where to find his body.
Police found that the Yemeni had previously checked out of a psychiatric ward before finishing his treatment.
Throughout hearings at the Criminal Court, the judge insisted on seeing the defendant's psychiatric file but it was never presented.
In addition, the defendant had fled the country so there was no way to discover whether he was guilty or truly unaware of his actions.
The case was dropped from the court's roll but public prosecution appealed the decision and the Appeals Court ordered a return of the case to the Criminal Court.
A few months ago, the man in question flew back to the UAE and turned himself in.
After appearing in front of a psychiatric committee, it was found that he suffered a psychological disease and could not be held legally responsible for his actions. The court on Tuesday ordered that he is transferred to a psychiatric hospital, as he poses a danger to society.
hdajani@thenational.ae