Jobless man steals Dh15 from woman for food, Dubai court hears

The Filipino allegedly held a screwdriver to the Lebanese woman's stomach in a Dubai Mall car park and then stole all the money that she had on her at the time.

DUBAI // An unemployed man jeopardised his stay in the UAE by robbing a woman of Dh15 to buy food.

Dubai Criminal Court heard that Filipino RR, 48, pointed a screwdriver at the stomach of a woman on January 4 and robbed all the money she had on her at the time, Dh15.

He is charged with theft, which he denied in court.

“I had just left Dubai Mall and started my car when he opened the passenger’s door,” said the Lebanese woman, SA, 32. “He was wearing a mask and holding a sharp tool; he told me, ‘I will kill you, give me money’.”

The woman said she was terrified and started crying, especially because she had very little to give him. She said she told him so and even opened her purse to show him there was not much in it.

As she opened it, the man saw the Dh15, which he snatched before running away.

The woman called police, who tracked down the man through mall car park camera footage.

“He said the idea came to him on the spot, when he saw a woman alone in her car. He said he had never done it before but he was going through financial problems,” said 32-year-old Emirati policeman SEA.

A verdict is expected on April 9.