Foreman beats cleaner, rapes her, court hears

dubai — A foreman raped a cleaner in the restroom of a shopping centre while he was drunk, the Court of First Instance was told on Tuesday.

Prosecution records showed the 47-year-old Indian carpenter pulled the cleaner by force, who was then by herself in the restroom, to the changing room where he hit and slapped her several times and then raped her.

He had allegedly consumed three bottles of whiskey before attacking the woman, a Nepali. He denied charges of rape and consumption of alcohol without a licence. The incident was reported on July 10 to Bur Dubai police.

“I was at the restroom of the centre at 2am when I saw the man’s reflection in the mirror. I turned around and asked him why he was in the women’s toilet,” she said.

She tried to walk away, but he stopped her and snatched her mobile phone. Before she could scream, he pulled her violently inside a changing room. There he covered her mouth and slapped her several times. He then took off her clothes and raped her under threats of further beating her up.

When he heard sounds of people talking and about to enter the toilet, he rushed out. She then went to the nearest security guard and told him about the worker. The police then arrived and took her to hospital and then for forensic tests.

They arrested the accused at 3am the same day and he was identified by the victim. “I learned about what happened shortly before 3am. I went there and saw the victim crying and looking very down in the ambulance. Her face looked red,” a police lieutenant said.

“I looked for the foreman in his office in vain. Then I saw he was held by a police captain who found him hiding in the parking lot. He gave different stories when I interrogated him. But he claimed she took off her clothes and had sex with him willingly. He also claimed he slapped her after she cursed him,” the lieutenant said.

The forensic report showed the defendant’s DNA traces were found on the woman’s body. The court adjourned the trial to November 15. —