Woman imprisoned for disrespecting judge

A hairdresser has earned the dubious distinction of being the first suspect to be jailed, fined and face deportation for dishonouring a judge in the Dubai Courts. The Dubai Misdemeanours Court on Monday sentenced the 26-year-old Moroccan woman, A.B., to jail for one year and fined her Dh10,000 for disrespecting and cursing a judge at the Dubai Court of First Instance in October. "This is the first case of its kind in the history of Dubai Courts. Due to the gravity of her crime, I handed her the maximum and harshest punishment applicable as per Article 262 of the Federal Penal Law. The judge, who was disrespected inside the courtroom, wrote a legal memo and sent it to the Public Prosecution. All the bad words were mentioned in that memo," Presiding Judge Jamal Mohammad Jubaily told Gulf News yesterday. Presiding Judge Jubaily, who pronounced yesterday's judgment, said the accused will be deported once she completes her jail sentence. ‘Mental illness' According to the primary verdict sheet, which was viewed by Gulf News, the court disregarded A.B.'s claim that she suffered from a psychological illness that rendered her neither responsible nor accountable for her actions. "When she appeared in court, she pleaded not guilty and said she did not realise what she said or did due to her illness. Her lawyer argued that A.B. was schizophrenic and suffered a mental illness that made her lack any criminal intention to curse or disrespect a judge." The court referred A.B. to Rashid Hospital where she was examined by a special committee. The committee ruled that A.B. was mentally stable and did not suffer from any illness. "Hence the court concluded that she was aware of her actions and behaviour when she cursed the judge," the verdict sheet pointed out. Prosecutors accused A.B. of disrespecting Judge Fahmi Mounir Fahmi when he chaired a hearing in the Court of First Instance on October 5. During the hearing, A.B. cursed the judge when she was sentenced to jail for one year, to be followed by deportation, for identity theft and other forgery charges. Gulf News learnt that the Dubai Appeals Court confirmed A.B.'s one-year imprisonment [in the forgery case], but cancelled her deportation. On a rampage On Monday, Presiding Judge Jubaily handed her a jail term and fine, followed by deportation. When A.B. heard the Court of First Instance's verdict, she went on a rampage and insulted Judge Fahmi and called him a ‘rotten Egyptian'. "You rotten Egyptian! I am not a prostitute or a murderer for you to jail me for one year. Why? What did I do?… You dirty Egyptian. What did I do to deserve a deportation," Gulf News heard her screaming in courtroom four on October 5.