Expat teens beat up Canadian youth at villa party, Dubai court hears

DUBAI // Three teenagers beat up a 19-year-old man until he bled from the mouth – because he offered a girl a cigarette at a party, a court heard this week.

A S, from Canada, told the Juveniles Court that he was at a party in the back garden of a villa when the girl asked him for a cigarette and he granted the request.

But soon after he had done so the party host, N L, 17, from the US, turned on him.

“He told me I disrespected him at his own house,” recalled the Canadian. He said the American then punched him on the head and body and that two other teenagers, including K A, 17, from the UK, joined in the attack.

“The American restrained me while two other guys threw several punches to my head and abdomen and all over my body, I even bled from the mouth,” said the Canadian.

He went to a police station the following morning to report the incident.

The court heard the fracas broke out at about midnight on April 20 this year, with guests at the party breaking out into chants of “fight, fight” and trying to record events on their mobile phones.

In his defence the American teenager said that the Canadian turned up to the party drunk and kept causing disturbances – including breaking some items in the villa. He said the Canadian pushed him and that he responded.

“Out of fear then, I punched him on the face twice,” said the American.

The British teenager said he apologised to the Canadian while both were still at the party.

Prosecutors were shown video footage of the fight, but the American claimed that the Canadian had deleted the part that showed how it began.

Both the American and British teenagers denied charges of assault. A verdict is expected on October 8.

A third teenager, aged 19, who took part in the fight has been referred to the Misdemeanours Court on the same charge.

salamir@thenational.ae