Rapist who posed as modelling agent jailed



DUBAI // A security guard who posed as a modelling agent so he and a friend could rape a waitress was today sentenced to three years in prison.

The waitress was leaving a gift shop in Al Mutaina at about 11.30pm on July when the man stopped her and showed her a catalogue, claiming that he owned a fashion advertising agency.

"He offered to take my pictures for the catalogue and pay me for it, but I refused," said the waitress, a 30-year-old Filipina.

The man then showed her several contracts he claimed to have with other Filipinas and suggested she accompany him to his agency's office to sign up. She told him she needed to take the contract home to read before signing anything, but he insisted so she agreed.

"I was surprised when he opened the door of an apartment and pushed me inside," said the waitress.

The man then threw her onto a sofa bed and threatened her with scissors when she refused to have sex with him. Another man who had been hiding in the bathroom then entered and the two men took turns raping her over the course of the next hour. They then released her.

The waitress said that after she was raped she confided in a roommate and colleague who then informed their manager, who in turn called the police.

The colleague said that the waitress was crying when she returned home but was too scared to say what had happened because the men had threatened to harm her.

"She told me of their address after many hours, then I told my boss," said the colleague.

MF, 35, and MT, 29, who are both security guards from Pakistan, claimed that the intercourse was consensual.

"We had sex with her, your honour, but she was fine with it," the men told the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance through a translator.

However, a forensics report found otherwise.

Both men were sentenced to three years in jail. Both will be deported following their prison terms.

salamir@thenational.ae

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

Essentials

The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.

Recipe: Spirulina Coconut Brothie

Ingredients
1 tbsp Spirulina powder
1 banana
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (full fat preferable)
1 tbsp fresh turmeric or turmeric powder
½ cup fresh spinach leaves
½ cup vegan broth
2 crushed ice cubes (optional)

Method
Blend all the ingredients together on high in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy.