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Doctor Acquitted of Molesting Patient

DUBAI — The Dubai Court of Appeals acquitted on Tuesday a British physician of sexual harassment for lack of proper evidence.

The 64-year-old man was standing trial on the charge of sexually harassing a Singaporean housewife in a treatment room of his clinic during a laser hair removal session.

The Court of First Instance on October 15 found the man not guilty.

In his testimony, the doctor told the lower court that it is impossible for a physician, using laser to remove hair, not to touch the patient.

Confirming the physician’s statement, a witness, who is also a physician, told the court that gel must be applied on the targeted area to prevent possible inflammation following hair removal.

“To do that, the doctor has to carry the laser in one hand and touch the body part with the other hand to pull the hair off from their roots. Otherwise, the process would be difficult and imperfect,” the 52-year-old Arab witness told the court.

The witness told the court in reply to a question raised by the defence lawyer that the physician even needs to very often move around the patient to get the right position and professionally remove the unwanted hair.

On the other hand, the 37-year-old plaintiff told the prosecutors that, in July 2008, the defendant was removing hair from under her arms when he touched and squeezed her breasts.

“As he noticed my shock, he handed me Dh1,000 and told me to add an extra Dh500 to pay at the service counter,” she claimed. He also reportedly gave her another appointment while she did not ask for it.

A Romanian laser specialist at the same clinic stated that two more women had approached with complaints of ‘weird and indecent behaviour’ by the doctor alleging that he was not wearing gloves during the treatment sessions, which she termed as unprofessional.

The plaintiff’s legal counsel claimed Dh20,100 as temporary compensation.

Man Accused of Bid to Bribe
Driving Examiner

The Dubai Criminal Court, presided over by Judge Al Saeed Barghut, on Tuesday adjourned a bribery case, involving an Argentine, to January 12.

The suspect, who appeared in court on Wednesday, pleaded not guilty through an interpreter.

“I did not bribe or even try to bribe anyone,” he told the jury.

The case dates back to September 7, when the 28-year-old air steward allegedly offered a bribe of Dh1,000 to an examiner of a driving school here to help him pass the test which he failed three times.

In his testimony, the driving inspector told the prosecution that the suspect made several mistakes while taking the driving test that he could not make it. “The suspect asked me to talk to him in private. He then opened a page of his passport where Dh1,000 was kept, but said nothing,” the examiner told the prosecution.

The accused told the court that he never offered a bribe to the plaintiff.

ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE