DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, May 20 (UPI) -- An Emirati man sentenced to death for torturing his daughter, resulting in her death, has accused his ex-wife of also abusing the girl.
Hamad S., 30, on Sunday told the Dubai Appeal Court that his ex-wife abused the girl and her sister, and had them blame him for the crime, Gulf News reported.
He was convicted in February along with his girlfriend, Al Onoud A., of emotionally and physical abusing and torturing his 8-year-old Wudeema to death. The two were also found guilty of burning and torturing Wudeema's 7-year-old sister, Meera, causing her to become permanently disabled.
Hamad said his ex-wife, the girls' mother, also abused the girls and conspired to try and get Meera to testify against him in court. He did not, however, ask to be pardoned.
"I beg the court to seek the truth and make it public ... I don't care about being executed or asking for my primary judgment to be reduced. At any cost, the court needs to reach the truth," said Hamad when addressing presiding judge Eisa Al Sharif.
"I have had an 11-year-old dispute with my ex- wife and still have. I suffered dearly due to my ex-wife and her mother constantly trying to cast a spell on me. My ex-wife does not deserve to be a mother ..." said Hamad.
Hamad's court-appointed lawyer, Hamdi Al Sheewi, said his client didn't intend to kill Wudeema.
"He confessed that he beat and tortured her because he was disciplining her. May she rest in peace and God bless her soul ... the defense does not agree that disciplining someone should go beyond humanity. However he beat her in a form of chastisement and his actions went beyond normality ... evidently he did not intend to kill her," Sheewi said.
