Man who assaulted housemate gets one year in prison

DUBAI // A 31-year-old man was sentenced to one year in prison this morning for sexually assaulting a housewife in her home.

The defendant LA, Bangladeshi, was found guilty by the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance of trespassing and sexually assaulting the 28-year-old woman after her husband had left for work. After the attack, he threatened to hurt her if she told police.

According to the woman's testimony, LA had called her repeatedly for a while before the incident. She said he told her many times that he loved her. She eventually changed her mobile number.

She told prosecutors that she, her husband and their children shared a house in Al Rashidiya with LA and his wife. In November, after

the children had left for school and the husband had gone to work about 7.30am, LA entered the victim’s room while she was in the bathroom.

She said he grabbed her hand, pushed her onto a sofa and tried to rape her. She told prosecutors that she resisted and ran to the bathroom, where she locked herself inside for about three hours.

When her husband returned, she told him about the incident and they contacted police.

LA will be deported after serving his prison term.

salamir@thenational.ae