Pinoy in UAE gets jail

Pinoy in UAE gets jail term for stealing BlackBerry phone06/18/2011 | 02:44 PM

A Filipino was sentenced to a year in jail for stealing a high-end BlackBerry phone from a Swedish woman in the United Arab Emirates last March.

The 38-year-old Filipino — only identified as R.A. — worked as an assistant to a chef, Gulf News reported last week.

He will be deported after he completes his prison term, according to the report.

The 26-year-old Swedish woman said the incident occurred when she was at a music festival at Jumeirah Beach Residence last March 4.

She said that at about 10:30 p.m., she left her phone on the restaurant's table to greet her friend.

"I was busy chatting with my friend when I saw two men arguing near my table. My phone was with one of them," she told police officers.

She later realized the Filipino had stolen her phone but a police officer caught him in the act.

The Filipino confessed to the crime, the Gulf News report said. — JE, GMA News