A man in Dubai beats his friend to death for smashing his phone

A Dubai based 28-year-old Indian man allegedly beat a friend to death after the latter smashed the defendant's mobile phone into a wall, Khaleej Times reported. 

The incident, which took place on June 26, saw the two men fight over the use of the phone's flashlight.

In his statement on the matter, a Dubai police lieutenant said:

"We were informed around 7am about a murder in the Dubai Investment Park. We went to the crime scene and found it was a yard between two labour accommodations. The victim was found lying on his back - bleeding from his neck and covered with a blanket."

"Through investigation, we learned that prior to the killing, the defendant was drunk with one of his friends and they were using a mobile phone's flashlight to search for the friend's Emirates ID. The victim - also under the influence of alcohol - was sleeping there in the dark. He asked them to keep the flashlight away from him but they would not turn it off," he added. 

That's when the victim got angry, and attacked the defendant, snatching away his phone and smashing it against a wall. 

In a bid to calm things down, the defendant's friend then asked him to leave the scene. 

Even though the defendant left the scene at first, he later came back alone. 

He slowly approached the victim, who was sleeping at the time of the attack and severely beat him with an iron bar before fleeing the scene. 

"The next day, he was told by a friend that the man had died," Khaleej Times wrote. 

A forensic expert who examined the victim's body attributed the cause of death to severe internal bleeding caused by the assault.

The victim had also suffered a gash to the neck and serious bone fractures. 

According to Khaleej Times, "the body remained at the crime scene between six and eight hours before it was discovered and examined."

After the victim's body was found, police used CCTV footage from cameras located at the crime scene to track the defendant down.  

During the investigation, officers also interviewed the friend who was with the defendant and the victim on the night of the crime. 

Speaking to officers, the man said he had never imagined the defendant would be capable of committing such a crime. 

At a hearing into the case, held at Dubai's Court of First Instance, the defendant denied a premeditated murder charge, claiming he didn't mean to kill the victim.

A verdict has yet to be issued in the case.