Restaurant duo not guilty of abusing and molesting chef, Dubai court rules

The Lebanese manager and his female assistant were on trial for allegedly continually abusing their Pakistani chef, touching him inappropriately and throwing kitchen utensils at him.

DUBAI // A restaurant manager and his assistant who were accused of repeatedly molesting their chef were found not guilty by Dubai Criminal Court on Tuesday morning.

Pakistani S J, 20, said that from the time he joined the restaurant for nine months he was subjected to numerous incidents of abuse, including inappropriate touching.

The chef told prosecutors that manager E M, 24, and his female assistant S A, 22, both from Lebanon, would often kick him, mock him, strike him on his head with plates or use other kitchen utensils to hit him.

He described how they took pleasure in the assaults, laughing and clapping their hands every time.

“In one incident, S A stabbed me on the shoulder with a fork,” the chef claimed. He added that the couple would also abuse him sexually.

He said that on January 3 he was punched by both of them. The manager then pushed him over and S A restrained him as the manager pulled down the chef’s trousers and underwear, the Pakistani claimed.

“They are the bosses there, and I was afraid to lose my job, but then one of my colleagues reported them to police for assault, so I decided to do the same,” said S J.

At Dubai Criminal Court, the two faced several charges of forceful sexual assault, which they denied. The pair were acquitted but a reason for the judgement was not made public.