Drunk man ‘dragged business partner into flat and tried to rape her’

The woman had given the man Dh7,000 as part of a plan to set up a business but she threatened to call police when he stalled and said he would not return the money, a Dubai court heard.

DUBAI // A drunk man attacked his business partner near his apartment, dragged her inside and tried to rape her, a court has been told.

Dubai Criminal Court heard on Sunday that the woman and her attacker lived in the same building in Al Qusais and, on the morning of December 29 last year, they met near the lifts.

“He pulled me inside the lift then slapped me before he dragged me into his flat. I was screaming and resisting and his friend came to my rescue,” said the Pakistani woman, whose age was not given.

She told prosecutors that she met the defendant about four months before the incident because he was helping her start a business. She said she gave him money for the business but did not have any evidence to prove it. When he stalled then refused to give the money back, she threatened that she would call police, she said.

“One day before the incident I told him I will call the police if he did not give me my money back,” she said, adding that when he attacked her the next day, he was screaming at her as he pulled her into his flat that he wanted to talk about the police report she said she would file against him.

Once in the flat, the woman said there were a number of drunk men there who were laughing as she was dragged into the bedroom, where he hit her and ripped off her shirt as she resisted.

“I managed to call his friend, who arrived in about 10 minutes,” said the woman.

The friend pushed the defendant off the woman and argued with him while she left and called police, who arrived and apprehended the accused.

“I met her through the defendant then I knew she gave him Dh7,000, and on that day she called me at 6.30am screaming and saying that he dragged her inside and wants to rape her,” said the Pakistani friend.

In court, the 40-year-old accused, who is also Pakistani, denied attempted rape and assault charges but admitted consuming alcohol without a licence.

The next hearing will be on June 4.