Man accused of filming up women's skirts in mall

Dubai A sales executive has been accused of molesting a number of women shoppers by secretly filming up their short skirts while shopping at a mall.

The 26-year-old Indian executive, A.M., was said to have walked behind a number of unidentified women shoppers, who wore short skirts, and filmed them while walking around the mall in June.

Prosecutors accused A.M. of molesting a number of women using his mobile phone.

The defendant pleaded guilty and admitted that he filmed the women up-skirt when he entered his plea before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Monday.

According to the charges sheet, prosecutors said the suspect abused the fact that the women were busy doing their shopping before he filmed them without them noticing.

An American security officer at the mall claimed to prosecutors that he spotted on CCTV cameras the defendant moving his mobile phone under the skirts of women shoppers.

“A woman was busy checking some shoes when I saw the suspect on surveillance camera filming up her short skirt. He secretly placed his phone between her legs to film her … then I went out of the camera control room and went to that particular shop and brought the defendant [in]. When I confronted him with the surveillance footages, he apologised immediately and asked me to forgive him. I then informed the police,” claimed the officer.

A police sergeant who testified to prosecutors said the mall’s security notified them that the modesty and privacy of a number of women shoppers had been breached.

“We were informed that the suspect was caught on camera filming up women’s skirts secretly. We headed to the location … the security had already restrained the suspect. When I questioned him, he confessed that he filmed women wearing short skirts and apologised for what he had done. Upon checking his mobile phone, I discovered that he had filmed a number of women,” claimed the sergeant.

A ruling will be heard on February 25.