Duo get 15 years for sexually exploiting woman, who fell to her death

Dubai: Two men were jailed for 15 years each for sexually exploiting a woman, who fell to her death trying to escape from a third-floor flat where she was confined by the duo.

Investigations revealed that the flat was being run as a brothel by three Bangladeshi workers, aged 38, 40 and 44, in July 2015.

Once the woman discovered that she was being kept in a brothel and forced into prostitution, she tried to climb out of a window, but accidentally fell to her death.

The building’s watchman called up the 38-year-old Bangladeshi man and notified him that a woman had fallen from the window of the flat that he had rented.

The 38-year-old and his countrymen rushed to the building in Naif area and found the woman, who was still alive, in a pool of blood.

Then took the critically injured woman back to the flat and locked her up inside a room, according to records, while the 38-year-old man asked three prostitutes to leave the flat.

The police were alerted about the incident. Primary interrogations revealed that the flat was being run as a brothel.

According to court records, the defendants was accused of confining the victim in the flat, running a brothel and sexually exploiting the woman.

The 44-year-old and the 38-year-old were accused of having consensual sex with one of the prostitutes who absconded.

In March, the Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced the 38-year-old to 10 years in jail for running a brothel, confining the woman and sexually exploiting her.

The 40-year-old defendant was sentenced to three years in jail over sexual exploitation but was cleared of the remaining charges.

The 44-year-old was acquitted.

According to the primary judgement, the 44-year-old and 38-year-old defendants were referred to the Misdemeanours Court to be tried for having consensual sex with the runaway prostitute.

Prosecutors appealed the primary judgement and asked the Appeal Court to stiffen the trio’s sentences.

Presiding judge Eisa Al Sharif accepted prosecutors’ appeal and overturned the primary judgments. According to the appellate ruling, the 38-year-old and the 40-year-old had their punishments stiffened to 15 years in jail.

They will be deported following the completion of their punishments. Meanwhile the court upheld the acquittal of the 44-year-old suspect.

The appellate ruling remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 28 days.