Kyrgyz engineer denies raping woman in Dubai park

DUBAI // A man accused of raping a 24-year-old woman told the Dubai Court of First Instance yesterday the act was consensual and noted that she had dropped the charge against him.

The 34-year-old suspect, AS, who was also charged with drinking alcohol illegally, told the court he was an educated man with a degree in engineering and should not be detained like a criminal.

AS, from Kyrgyzstan, confessed he and the alleged victim, YZ, had sex in a public place - a small park behind a residential building in Discovery Gardens, records show.

Prosecutors said AS visited the girl last September, and they sat in the park and drank alcohol. He is accused of harassing her, and when she rejected him, pushing her onto the grass and raping her.

YZ told prosecutors the suspect began kissing her after arriving after 11pm on the day of the incident. She said she asked him to stop but he told her he couldn't, prosecutors said.

She told prosecutors she ran to her apartment after the encounter and called the Jebel Ali police station.

The court granted AS his request for a copy of the case file and assigned him a lawyer.

AS pointed out the woman had dropped charges against him and asked the court to take that into consideration and free him on bail.

A forensics report showed no signs of rape.

AS will be referred separately to Misdemeanours Court on charges of public indecency and illegal consumption of alcohol.

The next hearing was scheduled for February 22.

salamir@thenational.ae