The photo has been used for illustrative purposes.

Hamza M Sengendo, Staff Reporter

A driver after failing to repay a woman money he borrowed from her threatened to kill her and her siblings, a jury heard on Sunday.

The African defendant, 39, misused a telecommunication service (Whatsapp) to send a string of death threats to the Ethiopian woman, 21.

 “If you get me arrested, you and your siblings will not stay alive in Ethiopia!” He added, “Do you think you will be alive there? You will have to die.”

Prosecutors referred him to the Dubai Criminal Court demanding the toughest punishment. He confessed and expressed remorse. “Yes. I am so sorry,” he said. The ruling will be on May 29.

In prosecution records, the woman said she got into contact with the defendant through her brother seven months ago, since he is a taxi driver and would transport her bother. He started transporting her too.

In the course of events he requested her to help him with Dhs2, 500 and promised to pay soon. She learnt he had borrowed some Dhs2, 000 from her brother seven months ago. She later asked him to pay back.

“He asked me to give him three months so he could arrange it.

“He defaulted. When I asked him to pay he started threatening me. I was inside my apartment in Al Twar in January when I received a Whatsapp message.

“The message was sent from the defendant’s phone number. I contained threats to kill me and my siblings in Ethiopia in case I moved the police to arrest him for defaulting on my money,” she explained.

In one of the statements the defendant told her it was “better” for her to “stay in Arab countries” otherwise he would kill her the moment she went back to Ethiopia. She sought Al Qusais Police Station help.

During prosecution interrogations, the defendant reportedly confessed to have misused the social media service to threaten to kill the woman as per details of her complaint.