UAE: Man Slits Mother's Throat For Practising Black Magic

Defendant tells judge his mother engaged in witchcraft and he received 'divine message' to kill her.

A man who slit his mother’s throat and cut her tongue told investigators he did it to punish her for practising black magic, a court heard on Monday.

The Sharjah Criminal Court began hearing the case of an Emirati man over an incident that took place in an apartment in Sharjah’s Al Mamzar area in May.

The public prosecution has sought capital punishment for the defendant, who is in his late 20s.

In court, the defendant told the judge that his mother practised witchcraft and that he had received a "divine message" to kill her to stop her from committing evil deeds.

He added that the incident took place after his aunt had told him about how his mother dabbled in black magic.

Upon searching his mother’s house, the defendant claimed to have found material and papers related to black magic.

On confronting his 50-year-old mother, the man claimed that she admitted to practicing witchcraft.

The accused said he then rushed to the kitchen, grabbed a knife and slit his mother’s throat.

According to court records, the defendant continued staying with the decomposed body in the apartment.

The incident came to light when police were tipped off that a man was brandishing a knife in a supermarket and refusing to pay for the items he bought.

When police arrived and sought to see identity documents, the man took them to the apartment where police found the body.