15 years in prison for man who acid attacked ex-wife

An unemployed man is to spend fifteen years in prison for attempted murder after causing second- and third-degree burns to 80 per cent of his former wife's body when he poured sulfuric acid on her.

On Sunday, Dubai Criminal Court heard that on September 9, 2015, the Emirati man, 44, visited his former wife's office at the Nad Al Sheba Health Centre and forcibly locked the door.
"I screamed for the security, but they couldn't stop him from entering my office," the woman said, adding that he locked the door from the inside before taking out a green shampoo bottle and pouring its contents on her.
One of the security guards eventually managed to gain entry into the office, but found the woman in a very bad condition and immediately called police.
The Egyptian guard, 32, told the court: "When I managed to get into the office, the woman was suffering while the defendant was putting some yogurt on his hand because he got burnt by the acid as well.
"He was repeating that he wished he had killed her and it was over with. When asked why, he said he was free to do what he wanted," testified an Emirati lieutenant, 25.
The woman and her attacker were rushed to hospital. She had several reconstructive operations to her face, head, neck and parts of both her legs, the last of which was on February 3 last year.
When he appeared before court last May, the man said: "It was wrong what I did to the mother of my five children and my former wife of 15 years, but I didn't mean to kill her".
He told the court that he had been in detention for two years already and begged for bail. "I swear I won't come near her or my children," he said.
Judge Mohammed Jamal refused the man's request for bail and ordered the defendant undergo a mental health assessment upon his lawyer's request. A medical report previously said that he was aware of his actions and did not suffer from mental health problems.
Prosecutors charged him with attempted murder and told the court that the defendant had intended to kill his ex-wife and cause injury, which included 31 per cent third-degree burns.
He was sentenced to 15 years in jail and was ordered to pay Dh21,000 in temporary compensation and Dh1,000 towards legal fees.
The period in which an appeal can be mounted lasts two weeks.