Drunk man gropes woman inside Dubai Metro coach

Dubai - "He begged me not to expose him or report him to the police."

A man has gone on trial in a Dubai court for allegedly molesting a woman inside a Metro coach. According to court documents, the 38-year-old Indian man was drunk when he touched the woman's waist and groped her on February 14 this year.
The defendant, a salesman, denied charges of sexual harassment and consuming alcohol without a licence, at the Court of First Instance on Tuesday. He claimed he touched her by mistake.
The complainant, a 27-year-old Indian resident, said the incident took place around 10.15pm. "I had boarded the Metro at a station on the Sheikh Zayed Road. There was a man sitting next to me. I learned later at the police station that it was the defendant.
"He looked drunk. He caught me off-guard when he slipped his right hand between my shirt and purse, which I was holding."
She told the prosecutor the man groped her and touched her waist. "I grabbed his hand and yelled at him. He begged me not to expose him or report him to the police.
"However, I called the police because I felt too scared. He tried to flee the place twice but the police officers arrived very fast and caught him," she said.
A police corporal said he was on duty at the Metro station when the incident was reported. "I listened to the woman's account of what happened. We apprehended the defendant and he told her in front of me that he was sorry."
The accused confessed to the police he groped the woman and that he made a mistake, but during the public prosecution investigation, he claimed he touched her thigh unintentionally.
The court will pronounce its verdict on March 27.
mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai