Man jailed 10 years for raping friend

Dubai: A student has been jailed for 10 years for raping a female friend when she tried to comfort him and listen to his sorrows after his girlfriend ditched him.

The 24-year-old Emirati student, S.S., was accused of abusing the kindness of his Filipina friend and raping her although he claimed her allegations were groundless saying he had gone to collect rent from her.

The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted S.S. of having sex with the 38-year-old Filipina against her will after she welcomed him into her kitchen.

“I rented the flat for her and other Filipinas to live there. She borrowed Dh3,000 from me earlier. I went to collect my money from her that evening,” argued S.S. when he entered a not guilty plea.

According to the accusation sheet, prosecutors said the defendant made the victim feel comfortable about the fact that he needed a close friend to share his sorrows after his girlfriend ditched him.

Prosecutors said the defendant chatted with the woman for some time before he asked her to hug him. When she refused and asked him to leave because she wanted to sleep, S.S. raped her. He threatened to beat her if she shouted out.

The Filipina testified that she agreed to listen to S.S., who claimed he needed someone to talk to after his girlfriend broke up with him.

“His girlfriend J. lived with us for a while but she moved out. I volunteered to listen to him. All my roommates were asleep. I asked him to give J. some time until she calmed down. I asked him to leave because I was sleepy. I pushed him away and refused to hug him. He got outraged and threatened to beat me. He raped me despite the fact that I cried and begged him not to. He left the flat and left me in a hysterical condition,” claimed the 38-year-old.

Records said the victim’s roommates heard her crying for hours in the washroom before they convinced her to report it to the police.

Police arrested the defendant shortly after the incident.

Wednesday’s judgment remains subject to appeal within 15 days.