Khaleej Times

Rental supervisor accused of sexually harassing paramedic

- Marie Nammour

dubai — A Pakistani man has been charged in a Dubai court after he allegedly sexually harassed a female paramedic in her room. Public prosecutio­n records show that on December 16, the 30-year-old man — who was in the country on a visit visa — was alone with the complainan­t at her place in Al Barsha when he groped her twice.

He denied a sexual assault charge at the Court of First Instance. The victim told the prosecutor she worked as a paramedic at a medical centre and had not known the accused prior to the incident.

“I have been staying in the UAE for almost a year. About 6.30pm, I was in my room in a flat, which is a shared accommodat­ion. The defendant

A few minutes after they left, he came back to my room, telling me that he liked me and wanted to touch me Paramedic, complainan­t

arrived and introduced himself as the person in charge for rent. He had two men and a woman in his company. He was showing the rooms to them.

“A few minutes after they left, he came back to my room, telling me that he liked me and wanted to touch me,” she said.

She said she pushed him out after he groped her twice. “I closed the door and locked it with a key. I sent a message to my colleague via Facebook, informing him about what had happened. He later sent another colleague to my place. The latter called the police.”

She gave a statement at the police station that she had no idea how the defendant got inside her room and that he must have had spare keys of all the flats. She revealed he touched her intentiona­lly.

The complainan­t’s 27-year-old Filipino colleague confirmed having received a Facebook message from her about the sexual harassment incident. “I met her at 11pm at the police station. She looked scared and disturbed.”

During the public prosecutio­n investigat­ion, the accused admitted he went to the victim’s room and asked her to tidy up the place.

The trial has been adjourned to May 3.

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