Woman who tortured maid to death was 'mentally ill', Abu Dhabi court told

A woman who tortured her maid to death was mentally ill and must not be held responsible for her actions, her defence lawyer insisted today.

ABU DHABI // A woman who tortured her maid to death was mentally ill and must not be held responsible for her actions, her lawyer said yesterday.

Abdullah Al Khazraji said that a psychiatric report shown to the Criminal Court that claimed the woman A S was aware of her actions at the time of the death could not be relied on.

“The report said she suffers features of psychopathy but [concluded] that when the incident occurred she was mentally aware of her actions,” said Mr Al Khazraji.

He argued the report only took into account her behaviour after she suffered a seizure in prison on March 4, 2013. It did not, he said, take into account her behaviour before that date. The maid died on September 4, 2012.

Mr Al Khazraji asked the judge to consider files from Al Ain public hospital, from before the maid’s death, which showed she had a long history of mental illness.

The woman’s lawyer said she did torture and beat the maid, but did not intend to murder her, as prosecutors claim. Prosecutors have called for the death penalty, saying the woman lacked “any mercy or humanitarian feeling”.

The case was adjourned until May 6.