Diplomat's son on murder charge

Diplomat's son charged with murdering his sister's boyfriend thought he was stabbing an intruder in self-defence, a court hears.

DUBAI // A diplomat's son charged with murdering his sister's Emirati boyfriend thought he was stabbing an intruder in self-defence, a court has been told. The defendant, a 20-year-old student identified as AD, told prosecutors he had awoken just after midnight on Nov 10 in his parents' Jumeirah mansion. AD said he was supposed to have been alone in the house with his sister, AA, 23, and four sleeping housemaids.

He told the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance he was having dinner when he heard his sister's bedroom door opening and shutting several times upstairs, and the lift running four or five times. AD investigated the noises but found nothing and went back downstairs. When he later heard the lift running again, he grabbed a bread knife. "I went to the lift and pressed the button so it stopped at the ground floor before going down to the basement.

"Before opening the elevator door I could see a medium-height man wearing sports pants and shirt and a cap," AD said. "I opened the door and noticed his rippling muscles and I got scared. ''I asked him to identify himself and what he was doing here. ''He tried to push me aside and ran to the back door which leads to the garage." AD said he chased the intruder into the courtyard, scuffled with him and stabbed him twice in the stomach.

The man, identified as BJ, 32, fled to his car and drove to the home of a relative, a policeman, who drove him to hospital where he died hours later. AA told prosecutors she had been in a year-long relationship with BJ, who on Nov 9 declared he wanted to marry her. She said that at 1.30am on Nov 10, he told her he was coming to see her. She thought he was joking and was surprised to find BJ outside her bedroom just before 2am.

A A was concerned her brother would find him and tried to get him out, eventually telling him to take the lift to the basement. The case has been adjourned until Feb 24. [e-mail]