A taxi driver who sent an 16-year-old girl a WhatsApp message telling her that he loved her was fined Dh1,000 by Dubai Criminal Court.
The 40-year-old Pakistani driving had been driving the American pupil for three weeks before the incident happened on December 19.
The pupil said the man first drove her from her home in Dubai Healthcare City to her school in Sharjah then gave her his telephone number to call for a taxi when needed.
On the day of the incident, she called the driver to give her a lift to a friend's home in Sharjah to attend a party. She asked him to return three hours later.
"On the way back to my home after the party, he touched my left hand, but I pulled it away immediately. He then told me he loved me," said the pupil. She told the court that when she got home, she rushed out of the car and didn't even pay the fare.
She told prosecutors that once home, she received several WhatsApp messages from the driver in which he told her he loved her.
"When I was in the taxi with him and he touched my hand, he managed to pull off my ring. After he sent me the love messages and I replied asking him to stop, he sent me a picture of my ring on his finger with a message saying that he wished to kiss me on the lips," said the pupil.
The girl told her classmates of her ordeal who advised her to go to police after contacting the driver and paying the fare, which she did in the presence of her friends. She then reported the incident at Al Rafaa Police station.
In court earlier this month the driver denied sexually assaulting the pupil but admitted to sending her the message.
"I didn't touch her hand and I didn't tell her that I loved her, I only sent it to her in a message," he told judges.
Dubai Criminal Court fined the man Dh1,000 after he presented a notarised document proving that the pupil's father dropped charges against him. He will be deported upon paying his fine.
The White Lotus: Season three
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
New process leads to panic among jobseekers
As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.
“My clients are mostly Filipinos, and they [all want to know] about good conduct certificates,” says the 34-year-old Filipina, who has lived in the UAE for five years.
Ms Gado contacted the Philippines Embassy to get more information on the certificate so she can share it with her clients. She says many are worried about the process and associated costs – which could be as high as Dh500 to obtain and attest a good conduct certificate from the Philippines for jobseekers already living in the UAE.
“They are worried about this because when they arrive here without the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] clearance, it is a hassle because it takes time,” she says.
“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”
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- Join parent networks
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Europe wide
Some of French groups are threatening Friday to continue their journey to Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the European Union, and to meet up with drivers from other countries on Monday.
Belgian authorities joined French police in banning the threatened blockade. A similar lorry cavalcade was planned for Friday in Vienna but cancelled after authorities prohibited it.
