Sorcerer jailed for blackmailing woman in UAE with her private photos

Abu Dhabi - The woman said she had paid Dh16,000 to the man to fix her marriage problems.

The Federal Supreme Court in Abu Dhabi has confirmed an 18-month jail term for a witch doctor, who duped a woman into paying him money and threatened her to publish her private photos if she did not have sex with him.
The court upheld earlier rulings by lower courts that handed down the sentence to the Arab man after he was found guilty of practising witchcraft, fraudulently taking money from a woman and trying to have sex with her through threatening to post her photos on Facebook.
According to court documents, the Arab woman had given her photos to the man who claimed to provide treatment for people with various illnesses and fix rocky relationships using sorcery. He asked for the photos, saying that he wanted to use them for her treatment.
The woman said she had paid Dh16,000 to the man to fix her marriage problems. The woman said her friend directed her to the sorcerer, claiming that he provided good services and that he had earlier helped her family members who faced similar problems.
After collecting the money and her pictures, the witch doctor told her that he wanted to have sex with her, said the woman. And when she refused, he threatened her that he would post her private photos on Facebook.
The Arab woman, who stays in a northern emirate then filed a complaint with the police.
The man was arrested and charged with fraudulently taking money from the woman, practising witchcraft and threatening to post the woman's pictures on social media.
Both the Court of First Instance and the Appeal Court had sentenced the man to one-and-a-half years in jail and fined him Dh50,000. He will also be deported from the UAE after his jail term.
The man then appealed to the top court, which has maintained earlier verdicts based on evidence presented by prosecutors.
ismail@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi