Indian man jailed for burning ex-girlfriend's shoe, bed

A 26-year-old Indian waiter was sentenced to a one-year jail term in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for setting his ex-girlfriend's shoe and bed on fire, media reported Sunday.

The accused admitted that he got drunk before he visited his Filipina ex-girlfriend's residence and set her shoe and bed on fire, after breaking up with her in October, last year, Gulf News reported.

The former girlfriend of the accused youth reportedly worked in the same hotel at Jumeirah Palm in Dubai, as a receptionist.

The Dubai Court of First Instance jailed the Indian waiter for a year for deliberately setting fire to his ex-girlfriend's belongings, endangering the life of another woman a Filipina waitress, damaging private belongings worth Dh200 (nearly $55), causing damage to hotel property worth Dh2,100 (nearly $572) and consuming liquor.

According to Sunday's ruling, presiding judge Mohammad Jamalm, however, acquitted the Indian youth of secretly entering a women-only area.

"I was too drunk and not aware of what I did. I did it unintentionally, but I don't even remember starting a fire. I wrecked the claimant's belongings, but I have already paid for the damages. I went there to see my ex-girlfriend," the accused said in court.

The Filipina woman said that the supervisor of her residence informed her over the phone that her room had been set on fire.

"I discovered that the fire had been put out. The defendant had set my shoe and bed on fire. The fire spread to the bed, the walls and the curtains. My colleague (the waitress) was sleeping, but she woke up once the fire started," claimed the receptionist.

The waitress said: "When I saw my roommate's bed on fire, I rushed out of the room because it was full of smoke. I was scared of getting burnt."