Alleged rape victim's angry husband restrained in Abu Dhabi court

The man became angry and started shouting after hearing that a forensics report found no evidence supporting his wife's claims that two men had raped her.

ABU DHABI // The husband of an alleged rape victim had to be restrained today after flying into a rage in the courtroom.

He became angry and started shouting after hearing that a forensics report found no evidence supporting his wife's claims that two men, an Emirati and a Syrian, had raped her.

"If those two did not rape her then who did?" yelled the husband, an Arab.

He became further enraged when one of the two men suggested that the wife asked him to pay her Dh3,500 in return for her friendship. The defendant claimed the wife met him and his friend for dinner before they invited her to their farm to show her their horses.

"Then we dropped her back home and absolutely nothing happened, she even kissed me goodbye," said the defendant.

"She kissed you what?" shouted the husband, at which point the judge ordered him to be temporarily detained in a cell outside the court.

With the husband outside of the court, Chief Justice Sayed Abdul Baseer asked the defendant why he would have paid the woman.

"Just for friendship," insisted the man, adding: "I have two wives - why would I need to commit adultery?"

The chief justice replied that the "likes of you never have enough".

The Syrian defendant then said the woman had also asked him for Dh5,000, but the judge questioned this, saying that earlier in the hearing the defendant had complained he could not afford a lawyer.

"So you had money to pay the woman but you don't have money to pay a lawyer?" asked the judge.

The Emirati also claimed that the woman had offered to withdraw her rape complaint in exchange for Dh50,000.

The case was adjourned until May 13.