UAE | Crime

Facebook friends in sex trial

Man denies sex allegations, claims student pressuring him to marry

By Bassam Za’za’, Legal and Court Correspondent
Published: 18:11 October 29, 2012

Dubai: A student admitted in court on Monday that she cuddled and kissed with her lover consensually at his flat nearly 20 times after he promised to marry her.

Prosecutors have accused the Pakistani student and her Indian lover, both aged 24, with hugging and kissing consensually without being married.

“Yes it’s true. We hugged and kissed several times but that was after he promised to marry me,” the student claimed when she entered a guilty plea before the Dubai Misdemeanor Court.

The Indian, who works in customer services, entered a guilty plea as well but denied that he promised to marry the woman.

Prosecution records said the man’s family reported to police that the student repeatedly harassed them and kept coming to their flat wanting to coerce their son into marrying her.

The couple admitted that they became friends after they were acquainted on Facebook. They claimed that they used to spend long hours at each other’s residence and watch movies or meet in coffee shops or restaurants.

Records said the friendship developed into a love relationship and the couple started exchanging hugs and kisses every time they met.

“Our love affair blossomed in 2010. We had consensual sex several times at his residence in Dubai International City. The last time we slept together was at my residence in the same area in August. We cuddled and kissed and had protected sex. We slept together more than 20 times, I slept with him after he promised to marry me,” the student claimed to prosecutors.

Meanwhile the man confessed during prosecution questioning that he cuddled and kissed with the student but denied sleeping with her.

“We had a love affair more than two years ago, but I never slept with her. However her claims that we hugged and kissed are true and factual. We did so several times at my place and her place but I cannot recount how many times. She constantly asked me to hug and kiss her whenever she felt depressed. I persistently refused to sleep with her whenever she begged me to do so. Once she revealed to me that her ex-boyfriend abused her love and slept with her, she was hinting that she wouldn’t mind having an affair with me.

“But I strongly refused, then I stopped communicating with her. Since then, she visited our house several times wanting to pressure me to marry her. She claimed before my parents that I promised to marry her, but that was a lie,” claimed the Indian.

Records also quoted the student alleging that she doesn’t mind marrying the man despite religious differences.

The defendants remain in custody meanwhile the trial continues.