Drunk man gropes woman walking home in Dubai, gets 3 months in jail

Dubai - He will be deported after he serves his sentence.

A drunk man, who groped a woman while she was walking home in Dubai, was sentenced to three months in jail on Tuesday.

Court records show that the incident happened in the China cluster of Dubai International City on June 8. The defendant, a 38-year-old Asian man on a visit visa, reportedly drank one bottle of alcohol earlier that night.

The Dubai Court of First Instance found him guilty of sexual assault and referred him to the Court of Misdemeanours on the charge of consuming alcohol without a permit. It also ordered his deportation upon the completion of his sentence.

The woman, a 30-year-old Filipina waitress, said the incident took place as she was walking in the parking lot towards the entrance of the residential building where she lives.

"It was around 2am and I was going home. I was taken by surprise when the defendant suddenly came close and groped me. I got scared and ran away. I walked inside the building and told the watchman," she recounted during the investigation.

By then, the suspect had disappeared. "However, when I got inside the balcony I spotted him in the adjacent building."

The security guard of the other building was alerted and he managed to restrain the suspect. Shortly after, the police arrived and arrested the man. He has been detained after a complaint was filed at Al Rashidiya police station.

A police corporal said the defendant was drunk that night. "He denied the woman's accusations but confessed that he had consumed alcohol. The CCTV cameras in the building showed him following the woman and then inappropriately touching her." The CCTV footage was used as evidence in the case.

The defendant has the right to appeal the ruling within 15 days.

mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai