Bus driver sexually assaults passenger in Dubai

Dubai - The woman was the only one left in the bus when the assault happened.

A bus driver went on trial at the Dubai Court of First Instance for allegedly sexually assaulting a passenger inside the vehicle.
Public prosecution records show that the 27-year-old Pakistani man took advantage that the woman, a Tajik, was the only one left in the bus so he pulled over at a location away from residential buildings where he sexually assaulted her.
He then begged her not to report him to police claiming he would kill himself if she did.
The incident occurred on April 1 and was reported at Al Muraqqabat police station.
The victim, a 24-year-old saleswoman, said she rode in the bus driven by the defendant after 3pm on April 1.
"By then all other passengers had stepped off. I told him to take me to Deira. He later parked at a sandy yard in Al Jafiliya and told me he would go for prayer. He told me to sit in the back as the bus card I had was restricted to Al Barsha area."
When he came back few minutes later, he drove around for some time while she was busy on her mobile phone. He then parked away from residential buildings.
"The man started to tell me that I am beautiful and he wanted to have sex with me," she recalled during investigation.
She claimed that he covered her mouth with his hand as she tried to scream for help. The driver slapped and choked her while threatening to bring his friends to rape her and kill her if she did not do as he pleased. He then sexually assaulted her by force.
"Once done, he begged me not to report him to the police and that if I did, he would commit suicide," she told the prosecutor.
He dropped her later on the main road and from there she took a cab to her aunt's place. She later lodged a complaint at the police station.
A police lieutenant, who interrogated the driver, said the latter admitted he picked up the victim from the bus stop of a mall. "The driver's story was consistent with that recounted by the victim of what happened."
The driver led the police to the crime scene.
The defendant, who has been detained, was found to have sexually assaulted the complainant, as the forensic report showed. He will be sentenced on June 23.
mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai