Three men sentenced to five years for attacking a man in his flat

The victim was rescued after he threw pieces of paper out the window, with the word 'Help' written on them.

DUBAI // Three brothers who locked up a man in his own flat, stabbed him and beat him, were each sentenced to five years in prison at the Dubai Criminal Court.

The victim was rescued after he threw pieces of paper with “Help” written on them, out of his window, prosecutors said.

The Pakistani defendants, all identified as AAJ, aged in their late 30s, went to the victim’s flat on June 22. The victim, JK, 38, also Pakistani, said he was surprised to see the men enter his home without his permission.

“We argued, then the three assaulted me with their hands, then one of them stabbed me in the abdomen before they stripped off my pants and took pictures of me naked,” JK said.

The men then took turns providing JK with food or taking him to the bathroom after they tied him up. He was locked up for three days.

JK said the men stole Dh100,000, three smart phones worth Dh5,000 and a number of cheques.

The victim said he sent several written messages for help out the window when the men were not looking.

Security officers working at Al Khail accommodations in Al Qouz found the papers two days later and called police. Police arrived and went to the flat to find JK tied to a chair and bleeding. His eyes were swollen.

“When we asked them why he had been locked up, they said that they had differences with him,” testified SA, a policeman.

Two of the defendants were arrested while the third was not at the flat at the time of arrest.

At court, all three were charged with holding a person hostage, robbery, assault and sexual assault – stripping him and taking pictures of him naked. They were also charged with trespassing.

The men will be deported after serving their terms.

The verdict remains subject to appeal within 15 days.