Fine upheld for Dubai teacher who stole iPad minis

DUBAI // Dubai prosecution lost its appeal for a tougher sentence to be given to computer science teacher who was fined Dh2,000 for stealing two iPad Minis from a pupil.

Jordanian L B, 29, denied a theft charge but was convicted by Dubai Criminal Court in December last year and given the fine. Prosecution asked for the sentence to be increased, but the Dubai Court of Appeal refused and upheld the fine.

Prosecutors said L B stole the iPad Minis on June 1 last year but was only connected to the theft 10 days later when the father of the pupil received a call from Indian, H T, 30, asking for a passcode to one of the devices.

“I was surprised, I asked the caller how he got the iPad and he said a woman sold it to him through Dubizzle,” said Emirati K K.

H T was summoned to a police station where he told officers he had seen an advert for the two iPad Minis on Dubizzle.

“L B said the iPads were for her children and she asked for Dh1,200 in return for them,” he said.

When H T came to use the tablets, only one worked and the other was locked but he found a phone number on a Skype app on the working iPad, which turned out to be K K’s.

“I took the number and called it to ask for the passcode of the second iPad. It turned out that the iPad was stolen,” said H T.

Prosecutors said the teacher confessed to stealing the tablets as she was struggling financially, but she denied this in both courts.