A Dubai woman who struck up a WhatsApp-based friendship with a man she met at work was allegedly raped twice by him.
Prosecutors told judges at Dubai Criminal Court that the woman, a Filipino accountant, 25, met the defendent at the supermarket where she worked one month before the alleged incident, which took place on November 14 last year.
They exchanged numbers and messaged on WhatsApp before the accused, 29, from Pakistan, invited her to join him for dinner.
"On the day of the incident, I sent him a message to check he was OK and after chatting for a while, he invited me out. I said yes," the woman told prosecutors.
He picked her up from her residence and the pair had dinner, but when she wanted to go home, the man insisted they had tea together first.
"He drove to Al Qudra Road and stopped by a cafeteria. He ordered the drinks, before driving to an area I didn't know," she said.
The man allegedly stopped his car in an unlit sandy area then dragged her out of the passenger seat and raped her.
"I kicked him, trying to escape, but he bit my leg, choked me, slapped me and restricted my movement. Then he raped me twice," the woman told prosecutors.
She claimed that he threatened to kill her if she called the police, and then dropped her off at home.
"My friend saw me coming and asked me what happened. I told her, and then she helped me call the police," she said.
A medical examination confirmed that aggressive sexual intercourse had taken place.
The accused was apprehended the following day and, according to police, admitted to the crime during questioning.
The man's court plea was not available as the hearing was held behind closed doors.
According to his arraignment sheet, he faced charges of kidnap and two counts of rape.
The next hearing was scheduled on February 19.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Kill%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nikhil%20Nagesh%20Bhat%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Lakshya%2C%20Tanya%20Maniktala%2C%20Ashish%20Vidyarthi%2C%20Harsh%20Chhaya%2C%20Raghav%20Juyal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.5%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch automatic
Power: 169bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh54,500
On sale: now
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially