Staff on trial for filming woman in fitting room

dubai — A worker at a clothing shop allegedly filmed a female customer with his mobile phone while she was busy at the fitting room trying a new pair of jeans, the Court of First Instance was told on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old Sri Lankan worker, whose job is to move merchandise in the shop, admitted in the court a charge of breaching a woman’s modesty. He is accused of passing his phone which he put on video mode, under the room’s door to film the woman. The incident happened on February 15 and a complaint was registered with Al Rashidiyah police station.

“It was after 10am when I entered the shop. There was a man (the accused) standing at the cashier. I picked up a pair of jeans and went inside the fitting room.

As I took off my trousers and sat on a chair, I felt a movement outside the room’s door. I looked down and saw a mobile phone, which was filming.

I screamed and then a hand stretched in to take the phone,” the 34-year-old Emirati woman said.

“I was scared for a while without a clue what to do. I opened the door and did not spot a single person who could help me.

I left the shop and called the police who arrived about half an hour later. They came with me to the shop”.

She noted that as she walked out of the shop, she noticed the suspect standing in the other side of the shop. “He was staring at me with a look of fear and embarrassment on his face. I then went to complain against him at the police station,” she said.

The worker admitted to the charge to the investigators at the public prosecution.

mary@khaleejtimes.com