Man accused of beating up ex-wife, kidnapping children in UAE

A GCC national was accused of kidnapping his own children in a bid to take them away from his former wife, as she had won the custody of their kids. Besides the abduction, the RAK public prosecution also charged the defendant with abusing his ex by driving aggressively while she was trying to get the children out of his car. The father denied the charges at the RAK Misdemeanour Court of First Instance, calling his former wife's accusations "baseless and fabricated". The lower court cleared him of the kidnapping charge but found him guilty of hurting and insulting his wife and ordered him to pay a fine of Dh5,000. Both parties challenged the verdict at the RAK Misdemeanour Court of Appeal. The defence lawyer told the higher court that his client did not mean to hurt his ex-wife. The accused said: "I did not notice my ex-wife while she was trying to open the door of my car to get my children out." The lawyer said his client peacefully went to their place to check on his children, but his ex-wife swore at him, prompting him to run out of the house, as shown in the video recorded by the home CCTV camera. "The video also showed the father driving his car after his children got in, of their own free will, without being forced or kidnapped as claimed," the lawyer argued. However, the woman's defence lawyer argued that on the day her ex-husband came to their place, she just won the judicial custody of their children. In a fit of anger, he reportedly walked into the house, beat her up, and took the children by force. "The video footage submitted to the court shows the father running out of the house as if he did something wrong," the lawyer said. "He was also seen holding the door tightly to prevent his wife from getting out of the house and getting her children back." The defendant reportedly drove off with the car door open and his former wife was "very clearly seen holding it tightly". She lost balance, fell to the ground, and fainted, the lawyer said. "He was seeking revenge against his ex-wife who got judicial custody of her children on the same day." The court adjourned the case to February 20. ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com [ PLEASE SEE ADS IN MY BLOGS [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]