DUBAI // A 25-year-old man who harassed a woman at her workplace before raping her in his car has been sentenced to a year in jail.
Prosecutors said the Pakistani forced himself on the 29-year-old Filipina on July 13 last year and threatened to kill her if she told anyone.
The victim met the defendant a few days before at the restaurant where she worked and he offered her a higher paying job.
“He told me and my colleague that we can work at his company for better salaries,” said the woman, adding the defendant gave her and her friend his phone number after which they started chatting on WhatsApp.
When the man began harassing the women at work he was told by the management not to come back
Despite this, the woman said she met with him in order to stop him from following or calling her.
“He told me he was parked in front of my building and he would not leave me alone unless I went down and met him,” she said, adding that they spoke for two hours during which he expressed his admiration for her but she refused his advances.
“When I refused to kiss him, he got angry, bit my arm and slammed the car’s door on my leg, He then pulled me back inside the car and told me he was the king,” said the woman.
“I tried to remind him he was a Muslim and we were in the Holy month of Ramadan but no use,” she said, adding that the defendant ripped off her clothes and raped her. Afterwards when she picked up her clothes to get dressed, he raped her a second time.
The Pakistani then apologised and told the woman he loved her before she got out of the car.
The victim came home crying and in shock,” said her 50-year-old Filipino roommate. “She was scared and absolutely not herself. I asked her what was wrong but she didn’t answer me, then I overheard her as she called her mother in the Philippines and told her about the rape so I took her to the police station.”
It was not mentioned in records when the defendant was arrested. He denied the charges at the Dubai Criminal Court last November.
On Wednesday, the court sentenced him to a year in jail for rape but acquitted him of issuing death threats. He will be deported after serving his term.
salamir@thenational.ae