Nearly 30 Years Later, Retired Legal Official Recalls the Investigation, Trial and Execution in Dubai’s Historic Murder Case.
Dubai: A prominent Emirati legal professional who has worked as a police officer, public prosecutor, judge and lawyer has shared insights from his nearly three-decade career in the UAE’s criminal justice system.
Reflecting on his professional journey, he recalled handling serious criminal cases involving murder and sexual assault, overseeing executions, resolving family disputes, addressing deportation matters and participating in crime-prevention initiatives.
He also discussed how policing, criminal investigations and prosecution procedures have evolved in Dubai over the years.
Speaking on the Qaf Noon podcast on Arabcast, retired Brigadier Aref Boushaqer Al Falasi, now a lawyer and legal consultant, described his extensive experience across different branches of the justice system.
His career spanned almost every major stage of criminal proceedings, beginning with police work before moving into the Public Prosecution, the judiciary and eventually private legal practice.
According to Al Falasi, serving in these different positions significantly shaped his understanding of criminal punishment, crime prevention and the administration of justice.
His experiences also brought him into direct contact with some of the most serious and challenging criminal investigations handled by Dubai’s law enforcement agencies and courts.
Among the cases he discussed was the abduction, rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl during the late 1990s, an incident he described as one of the most distressing cases in Dubai’s judicial history.
According to Al Falasi’s recollection, the case ultimately led to Dubai’s first execution by firing squad.
The crime, believed to have taken place in 1996 or 1997, began when the young girl was reported missing.
The subsequent investigation resulted in the identification and prosecution of a suspect, who was eventually convicted of her murder and executed.
The case remains a significant part of Al Falasi’s recollections of his years working within Dubai’s criminal justice system.
Years after the case was concluded, one particularly disturbing detail continued to stand out in the memories of those involved.
According to Al Falasi’s account, the convicted murderer remained alive for approximately seven minutes between the initial volley of gunfire and the final shot that caused his death.
The duration was especially striking because a forensic examination had reportedly established that the nine-year-old victim had suffered for the same length of time before dying.
Sheikh Mohammed Personally Visits Crime Scene During Investigation
The disappearance of the young girl prompted an extensive police search as investigators worked to determine her whereabouts.
During the investigation, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum personally visited the crime scene, underscoring the seriousness of the case.
As police searched the surrounding area, trained tracking dogs repeatedly barked near the rear of a particular villa, drawing investigators’ attention to the property.
Officers subsequently searched the premises but initially found no evidence indicating that the missing child was there.
The significance of the dogs’ behaviour became apparent only several days later, following the discovery of the girl’s body.
Municipal sanitation workers discovered the child’s remains inside a cardboard box that had been discarded in a rubbish container.
A post-mortem examination confirmed that the nine-year-old had been sexually assaulted before being strangled to death.
The forensic findings provided crucial evidence that helped investigators reconstruct the events surrounding the child’s disappearance and murder.
As the investigation progressed, police gradually established the circumstances of the crime and began piecing together the sequence of events that led to the tragedy.
According to Al Falasi’s account, the perpetrator took the nine-year-old girl to an area behind the villa, where he sexually assaulted and strangled her.
He subsequently placed the child’s body inside a cardboard box in an attempt to conceal and dispose of it.
Investigators later discovered that blood had been left on the sandy ground within the villa’s premises.
In an effort to remove the evidence, the killer reportedly used a piece of cardboard to collect the blood-stained sand before scattering it outside the property.
However, the attempt to conceal the crime ultimately left behind an important clue.
The traces of blood were what had attracted the attention of police tracking dogs during the initial search, explaining why they had repeatedly reacted near the villa.
The Accomplice Who Accepted Dh100 to Remain Silent
As the investigation progressed, police identified an Asian man who admitted to witnessing the crime.
During questioning, the man reportedly revealed the identity of the main perpetrator and acknowledged that he had observed the incident without attempting to intervene.
According to Al Falasi’s recollection, the witness had accepted Dh100 from the killer in exchange for keeping silent about what he had seen.
His confession provided investigators with information about the circumstances surrounding the girl’s murder and helped establish the identity of the principal suspect.
By the time authorities identified the alleged killer, however, he had already fled the UAE, complicating efforts to bring him to justice.
Despite the suspect’s departure from the UAE, investigators continued their efforts to track him down.
Authorities eventually located him overseas, arranged for his arrest and secured his extradition to Dubai, where he was brought before the court to face criminal charges.
The prosecution was personally conducted by Ibrahim Bu Melha, who was serving as Attorney General at the time.
Following the trial, the court sentenced the principal offender to death for the murder, while the accomplice received 15 years in prison for concealing the crime.
A Final Meeting Before the Death Sentence Was Carried Out
Before the scheduled execution, Al Falasi and the Attorney General visited both convicted men, giving them an opportunity to speak with the prisoners.
According to Al Falasi’s recollection, the convicted murderer continued to deny responsibility for the crime, maintaining his claim of innocence despite the court’s verdict.
The accomplice, however, reacted very differently.
Overcome with emotion, he reportedly placed his hand on the Holy Quran and began crying as he reflected on the consequences of accepting Dh100 to remain silent.
He expressed deep regret over his decision, describing the prospect of spending 15 years behind bars in exchange for Dh100 as an unbearable consequence of his actions.
According to the account, the man even stated that he wished he had been executed alongside the principal offender rather than face his lengthy prison sentence.
The stark contrast between the two prisoners’ reactions left a lasting impression on those involved in the proceedings.
While the convicted murderer continued to deny committing the offence, the accomplice openly expressed remorse over his involvement and the decision that had led to his imprisonment.
Execution Scheduled in Dubai’s Al Ruwaiyah Desert
Following the completion of the judicial proceedings, arrangements were made to carry out the death sentence.
According to Al Falasi, the execution was scheduled to take place in an open desert area of Al Ruwaiyah in Dubai, where the authorities prepared to implement the court’s ruling.
Several officials and specialists were present at the execution site, including Al Falasi, the Attorney General, a religious scholar and members of the military firing squad.
A cardiologist from Rashid Hospital was also called to attend the proceedings and medically confirm whether the condemned prisoner had died following the execution.
Meanwhile, the young victim’s mother remained inside a vehicle parked near the location.
Before the sentence was carried out, she was asked whether she wished to grant the convicted murderer a pardon.
According to Al Falasi’s account, the grieving mother firmly refused.
She explained that she had endured six months of sleepless nights while waiting for justice following her daughter’s murder.
When the firing squad discharged its first round of shots, the mother believed that the court’s sentence had been carried out.
Having witnessed what she understood to be the completion of the punishment, she left the area.
However, the execution took an unexpected turn, as the initial gunfire did not immediately result in the prisoner’s death.
Doctor’s Error Delays Execution
According to Al Falasi’s account, the cardiologist assigned to oversee the execution was reportedly anxious because he had never attended such a procedure before.
The doctor allegedly made a critical mistake while positioning the target sticker on the condemned prisoner’s body, placing it away from the heart.
Consequently, the firing squad’s initial volley of shots failed to cause the prisoner’s immediate death.
The convicted man remained alive on the ground despite suffering gunshot wounds.
Al Falasi recalled that he subsequently instructed the firing squad to administer a final shot to the prisoner’s head.
The shot, described in his account as a “mercy shot,” brought the execution to an end.
The Seven-Minute Coincidence That Left a Lasting Impression
Following the execution, Al Falasi returned to his office and requested a copy of the forensic medical report concerning the murdered nine-year-old girl.
He wanted to examine the findings surrounding the child’s death and verify that the official documentation of the case was complete.
The review would bring to light a striking detail that remained with him long after the proceedings had concluded.
The forensic report revealed a disturbing detail that would become one of the most memorable aspects of the case.
According to the medical findings, the nine-year-old victim had remained alive for approximately six to seven minutes following the assault before dying from strangulation.
After reviewing the report, Al Falasi reflected on the circumstances surrounding the convicted murderer’s execution.
He recalled that exactly seven minutes had elapsed between the firing squad’s initial, incorrectly aimed volley and the final shot that ended the prisoner’s life.
The similarity between the two time intervals left a lasting impression on those who had participated in the proceedings.
Because of an unexpected error during the execution, the convicted murderer had remained alive for almost the same length of time that the young girl had reportedly suffered before her death.
For Al Falasi, the seven-minute coincidence became an especially unsettling memory from a case that had already profoundly affected those involved in Dubai’s criminal justice system.
The incident remained significant not only because of the seriousness of the crime and the death sentence imposed, but also because of the extraordinary sequence of events that unfolded during the investigation and prosecution.
From the initial search around the villa and the discovery of blood traces to the identification of the accomplice, the international pursuit and extradition of the main suspect, and the subsequent court proceedings, each stage contributed to the case’s place in Dubai’s judicial history.
Ultimately, the unusual circumstances of the execution and its seven-minute duration became among the most striking details in Al Falasi’s recollection, drawing a disturbing parallel with the suffering documented in the young victim’s forensic report.
