British man denies rape of stepdaughter’s teenage friend

A 63-year-old British man raped his step-daughter’s teenage friend at a birthday house party, a court heard.

DUBAI // A British man allegedly raped his stepdaughter’s teenage friend at a birthday party, a court has heard.

The 17-year-old was invited to a party and sleepover at a house in Al Barsha.

The teenager said the birthday girl’s mother and her 63-year-old stepfather were at the party drinking alcohol, dancing and eating.

“At around 8.30pm I noticed my phone was missing. I started asking guests and looking for it when the defendant touched me from behind,” the girl told the Dubai Criminal Court.

She said the man followed her around the house and told her he was “enchanted by her beauty” and wished “he was in his 20s so he could be with her”.

“I didn’t give him much attention and resumed looking for my phone,” she said.

Later that night, the man hugged her while in the garden. His wife saw him, screamed and asked for a divorce.

The victim then went to a bedroom to sleep while the accused slept on a couch in the living room.

She left the bedroom door unlocked but awoke to find the man touching her.

“When I jumped away and asked him what he was doing, he told me to shush,” said the girl. He held her on the bed and touched her despite her begging and crying.

He then raped her, she said.

The next day at school, the victim told a friend what had happened and they visited a school social worker, who contacted police.

Three witnesses testified during investigations that they saw the defendant molesting his stepdaughter’s friend.

“I saw him following her around and touching her behind and her shoulder whenever she walked near him,” said an 18-year-old pupil.

The school’ s principal said the girl was “very sad, depressed and sincere” when recalling events to the social worker.

“I don’t think she was fabricating this,” the teacher told prosecutors.

The results of a forensic report were inconclusive and found no traces of the defendant’s DNA.

The man denied a charge of rape. The next hearing is on April 18.