Salesman gropes female shopper at Dubai shop

Dubai - Denying a molestation charge, he claimed the incident was not intentional.

A salesman stood trial at the Dubai Court of First Instance for allegedly sexually harassing a female shopper in the shop where he worked. According to public prosecution records, the 22-year-old Afghan man touched the French woman's hand and groped her in the cloth shop in the Naif area on February 15.
Denying a molestation charge, he claimed the incident was not intentional.
The complainant, a 31-year-old housewife, said during the public prosecution investigation the incident happened around 10:00am. "As I was checking the goods on display, I told the salesman that I would come back later.
"I was then surprised when he grabbed my left hand and came around me. He then forcibly groped me. I yelled at him, telling him to stay away and not to touch me," she said.
The housewife then called the police, who arrived shortly later. The salesman was then arrested and taken into custody.
"I was on duty when we were informed about a problem in Deira area. I went there with another police captain. The complainant was there and two other police officers had already arrived at the shop," a police captain told the prosecutor.
"We questioned the complainant and the accused separately. The latter admitted verbally to us that he touched the shopper against her will. He said it was just a mistake and that he was sorry and it would be the last time he would ever behave like that."
The police arrested the salesman and also seized the shop surveillance footage. A report from the General Directorate of Criminal Evidence confirmed the complainant's account of what took place in the shop.
The trial will continue on April 5.
mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai