Dubai: A manager has been jailed for six months for breaching the privacy and modesty of several women in short dresses by secretly filmed them in a shopping mall.
The 39-year-old French defendant was said to have installed a professional camera in a nylon bag to film or click pictures of women in short dresses.
The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the man of secretly taking videos and still photos of private parts of an unidentified number of females in short dresses and miniskirts.
Records said a Pakistani witness spotted the defendant standing closely behind a number of women in short dresses and placing the bag close to their backs in May 2013.
“The accused will be deported following the completion of his punishment. Meanwhile, the camera will be confiscated and photos and video shots will be deleted,” said presiding judge Ezzat Abdul Lat on Thursday.
According to Dubai Police’s forensic laboratory, a total of 338 still photos and video recordings of women in short dresses were found on the camera.
When the defendant showed up in court, he countered the accusations and denied using the camera.
“I have never done that,” said the accused when defended himself.
When asked about the videos and photos that were found on the camera, the Frenchman said: “I did not see any of those purported photos on the camera. I never took any photos.”
A Pakistani outlet manager said he saw the defendant put his bag between the legs of a woman in a short dress. “I saw him do that with another woman. I suspected his actions and reported it to the nearest security guard. The guard rushed to the defendant and asked him what he was doing … the defendant hid his camera in his pocket. The accused gave the camera to the guard once he asked him to hand it over. Women did not notice what the defendant was doing,” claimed the manager.
Records stated the accused admitted he hid the camera in the bottom of the bag to film women shoppers from different angles and watch the images and video at home.
He was also quoted saying that he deleted the photos that were recovered from the camera’s memory.
Thursday’s ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.
