Three months added time for inmate who set fire to prison beds upheld

The man was upset that he had been moved from one prison ward to another at Dubai Central Prison.

DUBAI // A 33-year-old inmate sentenced to serve an additional three months in jail for setting fire to other prisoners’ beds at Dubai Central Prison has lost his appeal against the extended sentence.

Emirati A E was convicted by Dubai Criminal Court after it emerged he started the fires because he was upset at being moved from one prison ward to another.

In addition to the charge of starting a fire in an inhabited place, he was sentenced for deliberately damaging public property to the value of Dh650 and committing an act that posed danger to the lives of other people. He was ordered to repay the cost of the damage to Dubai Police.

On July 22 last year, he used a cigarette to set mattresses on fire.

Emirati policeman M S, 21, said that he was informed of the fire at 2.15pm. He said the corridor where the defendant’s cell was located was filled with smoke.

“I saw the defendant had placed a burning mattress in the middle of the corridor,” M S said. “I told him to put the fire out but he refused, so I did.”

The policeman said he asked the defendant’s brother – who is also in jail – to convince A E to get out of his cell and tell them why he started the fire, but the brother failed to do so.

“Later he (A E) came out and said that he was upset because his sister came to visit and because he was moved from his ward,” M S said.