Dubai mother claims police brutality in taser incident



The mother of a man shot with a taser gun after allegedly threatening police with a meat cleaver has accused officers of beating him up.

The incident happened after she called emergency services to her home address after realising her son was high on drugs.

An hour later more than a dozen policemen arrived at the property in Oud Al Mutaina, Dubai, and forced their way into the man’s room.

But after initially incapacitating him with a taser, the defendant’s mother claimed officers then continued to beat her 25-year-old son without justification.

“Around an hour after I reported him nearly 15 policemen arrived and I told them to break into his room and take him to a rehabilitation centre,” the defendant's mother told the court.

“They broke in, shocked him with a taser, pinned him to the ground and battered him when he didn't resist arrest.”

Asked by the judge about allegations her son had punched and kicked officers, refused to be shackled and threatened them with a meat cleaver, she denied this was true.

“Resist who exactly?” she replied. “There were 15 policemen who crowded around him, each one of them beating him.

“He did not fight back or threaten or do anything wrong to them.”

Dubai Criminal Court heard how police were called to the Emirati man’s home on October 4 last year.

Lawyer Saeed Al Ghailani told judges that his client was left severely battered in the attack and had sustained multiple injuries all over his body.

He claimed officers deliberately delayed taking the defendant to see a doctor as they knew medical reports would prove their assault.

He added that any person shot by a taser would be immediately paralysed by the weapon and unable to put up further resistance.

“I wonder then, when and how did he resist after being paralysed?” he said.

Mr Al Ghailani also told the court that the defendant had no previous criminal record, was his mother’s only son, and was the breadwinner for his family.

A verdict is expected on January 28.

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