DUBAI // A salesman accused of molesting a US Navy officer as she tried on a headscarf in a women’s clothes shop has been found not guilty by a Dubai court.
M K, 21, was among a group of servicemen who disembarked from their ship to go on a tour around Dubai in January this year.
They entered a shop where salesman S K, 47, from India, invited M K to try on accessories.
“He showed me a necklace and told me to try it. I refused and told him that it was not my style,” said M K, adding S K insisted on putting the jewellery on her neck.
“He took off the necklace and told me that he wanted to show me a scarf in the clothes department,” said the officer, whose rank was not disclosed in records.
“He didn’t give me a chance and put the scarf on. He put it on me, during which he felt my breast.”
M K told prosecutors at first she believed S K had touched her breast by mistake but then he did it once more.
“He grabbed my breast in a hard way, I took a step back and told him to take the scarf and I hurried back to the group because I was afraid,” M K said.
The American said she initially did not report the incident or tell anyone about it because she was ashamed and feared no one would believe her.
Her companions bought several items from the store and left.
“I felt so stupid and ashamed of myself for not reporting the incident. I stayed secluded for three days before I decided to tell my colleague, S, about it, who advised me to report it,” said M K.
Only then did she report the incident to her supervisor, who then told Dubai Police.
M K’s ship left port but returned to Dubai on February 23, when she was summoned to Bur Dubai police station to give a statement.
At Dubai Criminal Court on Tuesday, S K denied a charge of sexual assault and was cleared of the charge.
tzriqat@thenational.ae