Murder accused: ‘I’m no killer – just a bad driver’

This content was originally posted in 7DAYS UAE website at: Murder accused: ‘I’m no killer – just a bad driver’ A woman convicted of murdering her husband claims she didn’t intend to kill him – she’s just a bad driver. Badriya Mohammed Balushi, an actress from a GCC country and her current husband, an Arab national, were last month found guilty of the premeditated murder of 42-year-poet and film director Ahmed Hussein Mousa Salari. The couple were sentenced to death by Al Ain Criminal Court. Salari, who was previously married to Balushi, was killed in a car accident in the Murur area of Al Ain in March 2014. Prosecutors said that he had just finished meeting his three-year-old daughter at a government social centre in Al Ain and got into his car when his ex-wife drove her car into his vehicle. As Salari got out to inspect the damage, a speeding vehicle driven by the woman’s current husband mowed him down. Officers said the car had been rented by the couple to carry out the murder. Prosecutors said the pair killed the poet over disputes between the woman and her ex-husband. During the trial, the court heard she had sent Salari text messages between April and September 2013 threatening to kill him. However, Balushi has appealed her conviction and, at a hearing yesterday, her lawyer told Al Ain Appeal Court that his client had a history of bad driving and that she drove her car into the poet’s vehicle by accident. “The incident was an accident and not intentional. My client is a bad driver and had earlier been involved in many road accidents,” said the lawyer. “I am requesting that police in the Al Buraimi area present a report in court that shows all road accident cases in which the woman was involved.” However, Chief Justice Salah Al Din Ahmed Mohammed rejected the request. Also yesterday, the Salari’s family insisted in court that the couple be given the death penalty. The case was adjourned until later this month. ismail@7days.ae Read the original story at: Murder accused: ‘I’m no killer – just a bad driver’