Dubai: A man who attempted to force himself on a tourist in his friend’s car after making her acquaintance at a nightclub has been jailed for six months.
The 19-year-old tourist had been out drinking when the 33-year-old man and his friend invited her over to join them at their table in December 2016. Shortly after the woman joined them, the two friends introduced themselves to her and bought her another drink.
Then the three went along in the defendant’s friend’s car to the Jumeirah area and were denied entry to one of the nightclubs there because the tourist was under 21 years of age.
Then the two men, the 33-year-old from Comoros Island and his Emirati friend, drove the Norwegian tourist to another bar where they offered her another drink. The woman later recalled that she had felt sedated after having the drink.
The woman regained consciousness only to find herself in her underwear in the car’s back seat with the 33-year-old over her and trying to have sex with her.
The 19-year-old cried out aloud whereupon the man’s friend intervened and pulled him off her and prevented him from pursuing the sexual assault.
The man’s friend took the tourist to his residence where she showered in the shower sprinklers in the garden and then dropped her back to her hotel in Garhoud area.
When the woman later discovered that her phone and credit card were missing, she reported to the police that she had been robbed.
During further interrogations, the police discovered that the woman had been molested.
The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted 33-year-old man of sexually abusing the tourist.
The defendant pleaded not guilty.
A police corporal said the girl first reported to them that she had been robbed.
“The woman claimed that the night before she was drinking alcohol at Hard Rock Cafe at 8pm. The accused and his friend, who were seated at an adjacent table, asked her to join them. The girl then said they took her to another bar and she felt sedated after they offered her a drink. The Norwegian said the defendant tried to rape her in the car of his friend, who foiled the attempt. We identified the men from the hotel’s CCTV cameras,” he testified.
According to the primary ruling, the accused will be deported.
However, the defendant has appealed the judgement.
