Mutual friend claims wife asked defendant for Dh36,000 to grant him a divorce
Dubai: A young student has been accused of threatening to kill his pregnant wife and her unborn baby unless she had an abortion.
The 20-year-old Iranian student, M.A., was said to have held a knife to the face of his 23-year-old countrywoman, N.A., and shouted “I will kill you and your foetus if you do not abort.”
Prosecution records cited a common Iranian friend saying that N.A. had asked the defendant to pay her Dh36,000 to grant him a divorce.
The defendant pleaded not guilty when he appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Sunday.
According to the charge sheet, M.A. verbally threatened to kill N.A.
N.A. testified that the incident happened at her mother’s house in April this year.
“The defendant came to my mother’s place and picked up the knife from the table. Then he put it to my face and said that if I did not opt for an abortion he would kill me and my child,” she told prosecutors.
Her mother testified that M.A. came to discuss the issue of his wife’s pregnancy when he threatened to kill her daughter.
“That is absolutely not true,” the suspect said before presiding judge Wajdi Al Menyawi.
The 28-year-old friend testified during prosecution questioning that N.A. alleged to the police first that he was the one who had threatened her.
“I was surprised when the police summoned me after the wife alleged that I threatened her. M.A. is my friend and he introduced me to his wife. I didn’t threaten her. I called her after he asked me to contact her to retain his [M.A.’s] passport which was kept with N.A. The defendant had asked me earlier to call his wife and ask her to come and collect Dh36,000 which she had requested for divorcing M.A. Actually I called her instead of the suspect because I paid the money from my pocket to help M.A. who is my friend,” said the friend.
Presiding judge Al Menyawi adjourned the case to hear prosecution witnesses on November 10.
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