Man convicted of setting fire to his cell in Dubai prison

DUBAI // A man who set fire to his cell in a detention centre after spitting in a policeman’s face because he was not allowed to go for a walk was sentenced to two years in jail.

The 28-year-old Emirati, A M, was convicted despite denying a charge of endangering the lives of 90 detainees by setting fire to Ward 2 of Al Rashidiya detention centre when he appeared at the Dubai Criminal Court last month.

He was also convicted of damaging windows and threatening to kill, insulting and assaulting an Emirati policeman. A M only confessed to insulting the officer and damaging the windows.

On March 13, A M covered up the camera in his ward.

“I noticed it [the camera] was covered with wet tissues, so I went and saw the defendant. I talked to him and asked him what he wanted,” said the policeman, M H, 26. “He told me he wanted to have a walk outside the ward. I told him that it was not allowed, so he spat in my face then insulted and screamed at me.”

M H said that as he left he saw the accused burning a tissue before using it to set a mattress on fire. “Someone noticed the camera was not covered any more, so he [the defendant] covered it again and then we saw the smoke coming out of that area,” said the officer.

The centre’s other detainees were taken from their cells when the fire spread but the defendant emerged from his carrying an iron bar.

“He looked at me and said that he would find out where I live and disfigure and kill me,” said M H.

A M then smashed the glass windows with the iron bar, causing damage estimated at Dh25,350. The court ordered him to repay the amount to the police.