Pregnant woman who made rape claim is schizophrenic, court told

ABU DHABI // A pregnant woman who accused her partner of rape is epileptic, schizophrenic and unstable, and should be acquitted of having sex outside marriage, her lawyer has told a court.

The couple were in a sexual relationship for some time, the Criminal Court heard. Police investigators found pictures of the two together on their mobile phones, and evidence of lengthy calls and romantic text messages.

The court was told the couple had an assignation on December 7 last year at their usual rendezvous in Al Falah desert, where they had sex.

The woman, an Emirati, asked to speak to the man’s mother, but he refused. She threatened to have him put in jail, after which he left her. The same evening, she alleged that he had raped her.

A medical examination found no signs of assault, but revealed that she was pregnant. When this was disclosed in court the woman cried and screamed, and denied that she was pregnant.

Her lawyer, Mohammed Al Zaabi, said she suffered from psychological and mental health problems.

“She is epileptic and suffers from schizophrenia. She needs continuous treatment,” he said.

“During the incident, she was not in a stable state. We cannot hold her responsible for her actions.”

Her medical history, he said, showed she was unstable and had already received treatment in three different hospitals. It also showed she had twice attempted to commit suicide.

Her lawyer asked for her acquittal because of her circumstances, and for her to be referred to psychologists. He also asked for her medical records to be sent to the court.

Police investigations also established that the woman had sexual relations with several men. The accused man’s lawyer said: “If she is pregnant, we don’t know by who. We cannot suggest it was my client.”

His client admits having consensual sex outside marriage but denies rape.

The case was adjourned to February 23.