Khaleej Times

Guard enters women’s toilet, molests cleaner

- Marie Nammour

dubai — a security guard has gone on trial on the charge of entering women’s toilets and sexually harassing a cleaner.

the court of first instance was told the 28-year-old egyptian man tried to barge into a cubicle as a nepali cleaner was using it. he then grabbed her by the shoulder. he is also accused of groping her earlier on the same day.

he denied the charges of molestatio­n and entering a women-only place in court. he claimed he was “only doing his job” of following up on the cleaning work.

the incident happened on august 30 and a complaint was filed at al rashidiya police station.

the cleaner, 27, said she arrived at the park around 7am and

I was in the toilet at noon when he knocked on the door and suddenly opened the door with his own key and tried to barge inside, but I pushed him.” Complainan­t, 27-year-old cleaner

was going about her cleaning duties when she noticed the accused following her.

she claimed he groped her, grabbed her by her shoulder and then tried to initiate a conversati­on with her by asking about her salary. “i was in the toilet at noon when he knocked on the door and suddenly opened the door with his own key and tried to barge inside, but i pushed him.”

she sought help from someone, who called the police. the guard was arrested at the place shortly later.

the complainan­t’s supervisor said he got a call from her about four hours after he dropped her at the park. “she told me the guard hit on her as she was in the toilets. i went to the gate and confronted him with the cleaner’s accusation­s. but he claimed he was just checking on the cleaning work. i left him after telling him not to repeat what he had done,” the 29-year-old egyptian supervisor said.

the witness went there again and found the police already there. “i had to go to the park again after a local man called me saying he spotted the cleaner crying. she had told that man the guard attacked her in the washroom.”

the guard admitted to the police and during investigat­ion that he entered the women’s toilets and grabbed the cleaner by her shoulder.

the court will pronounce a ruling on november 14.

mary@khaleejtim­es.com

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