Woman who stole jewellery and cash freed by Dubai court

DUBAI // A woman who was sentenced to a year in jail for breaking into a flat and stealing jewellery worth Dh500,000 and Dh175,000 in cash has been freed by the Dubai Court of Appeal.

Last January, the criminal court convicted the 36-year-old Turk and ordered that she be locked up followed by deportation.

Prosecutors appealed, seeking a harsher sentence while the woman appealed pleading her innocence.

“I didn’t steal anything nor did I do anything wrong, besides if I stole why did they wait two years to send me to court,” she told judges.

Prosecutors said that on September 29, 2013, she broke into a flat in Al Qusais after damaging the front door. She forced open drawers in the bedroom and stole Dh175,000 in cash, nine diamond and gold sets as well as 13 rings, 27 bracelets, and eight pendants worth Dh500,000.

The 40-year-old Iraqi victim said that on the day of the incident she left home to take her mother to hospital.

“When we retuned two hours later, the door’s lock was broken, the lights on and the apartment in a mess,” she said, adding that she checked her bedroom and found the drawers forced open and jewellery missing.

“They also took Dh175,000 in cash,” she said.

The Iraqi called police who arrived and dusted for finger prints.

“The finger prints were searched on the system and matched the defendant’s,” testified a police officer, 39.

It was not clear why the case took two years to get to court.

The woman was freed on appeal.