Dubai: A male receptionist was sentenced to three months in jail on Tuesday for allegedly molesting a woman. He will be deported after serving his sentence.

The suspect denied that he intended to molest the victim and claimed he was trying to calm her down.

The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the 50-year-old Palestinian man A.D. of molesting the European woman, T.W.

"The accused, A.D., will be jailed for three months followed by deportation," Presiding Judge Al Saeed Mohammad Barghout said in his ruling.

Prosecutors charged the defendant with molesting T.W. by pulling her by the hand, pinning her to a wall and kissing her cheek.

"Your honour, the incident happened… but I didn't intend to molest her. What happened is that I held her and kissed her because I needed to calm her down," A.D. argued in his defence.

An Indian supervisor testified that the incident occurred at a five-star hotel.

"When I walked out of the gym's swimming pool, I spotted the accused walking behind the woman and holding her arm. He made her sit down for a few minutes until she looked towards me and asked for help. She seemed petrified because the accused was harassing her.

Eyewitness account

"She asked me to call the hotel security to escort her to her room because she wanted to avoid the defendant. Thereafter she informed the police," he said.

The woman claimed in her statement to prosecutors that the accused kissed her twice on her cheek.

"When I tried to leave, he held me for a second time and kissed me again… then he pulled me and made me sit on a chair," stated T.W.

According to prosecution records, the defendant admitted that he kissed T.W.'s left cheek.

The trial was not without its share of drama. Minutes after A.D., who was out on bail, turned himself in and walked into the courtroom, a relative present at the trial fell unconscious.

The judge instantly ordered the court guards and policewomen to take her out of the hall and call an ambulance.

Attempts to revive the woman lasted several minutes. Police allowed A.D. to walk out of the dock and attend to his relative. He helped her walk her out of the court.

Presiding Judge Barghout allowed the accused to remain with his relative till she regained consciousness. The defendant was heard whispering into her ear that he can still appeal the judgment before he goes to jail.

Primary judgments are subject to appeal within 15 days.