Fake 'government employee' rapes woman visitor in Dubai, jailed

A jobless man, who kidnapped a tourist and then raped and sexually assaulted her, had his prison term increased to 10 years after the Dubai public prosecution filed an appeal.

The 46-year-old Bangladeshi man was sentenced to five years in prison and deportation by the Dubai Court of First Instance in March on charges of kidnap, rape, sexual assault and impersonation of a public employee. He had lied to the Pakistani woman that he worked for the Dubai Municipality and threatened that he would fine her Dh500 unless she accompanied him to the police station.

The Dubai Court of Appeals upheld the deportation order and overturned the initial ruling, sentencing the defendant instead to 10 years in prison. A case was registered on October 6, last year, at the port police station. The 22-year-old victim said that she did not know the defendant prior to the incident. "I came to the UAE to visit my sister and look for a job."

The complainant told the prosecutor that she was walking with her boyfriend on Al Mamzar beach at 6pm when the defendant approached them. "He showed us a card, claiming he was a municipality employee, and asked what we were doing there and about the nature of our relation. He told me to accompany him to the police station and that he would fine us Dh500. My boyfriend went to his car to bring his ID card."

She recounted how the defendant snatched her mobile phone from her. "He made me climb the park fence and told me 'not to argue with him as he was a government employee'. "He made me walk on rocks, which was very dangerous until we reached a remote location. He then gagged me and threatened to kill and throw me in the sea."

She said that the accused ordered her to keep quiet. He made her perform a sex act and then raped and sexually assaulted her. The man then threw her mobile phone at her and asked her to put her clothes on, while she cried. The woman ran to the street and hailed a cab.

The victim's boyfriend, a 28-year-old Pakistani driver, said she was in a very bad shape when he saw her later. A police lieutenant said the accused knew the place, where he raped the victim, as he is a former employee at the park. "He had returned to the UAE despite a ban order."

A forensic report confirmed the victim was raped by the defendant.

The accused was found to have hepatitis B.

mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai