Dubai: A judge cancelled a driver's bail on Monday and ordered court policemen to detain him because he was spotted laughing while denying the charge of groping a woman's buttocks.

"The Dubai Court of First Instance has decided to lock up the suspect [a 34-year-old Indian driver]… police please lock him up and he is to be detained. The bail has been cancelled," said Presiding Judge Hamad Abdul Latif Abdul Jawad when he ordered the police officers, inside courtroom four, to detain the suspect.

Parking lot

Prosecutors accused the driver, N.V., of molesting an 18-year-old Egyptian housemaid in a building's parking lot while helping her move items to her employer's car.

While the attendants were amazed when they saw N.V. laughing as the court translator read out the charges, the driver said: "I am not guilty. I didn't molest her but my hand accidentally touched her butt while I was moving some stuff. It was an unintentional mistake…"

The suspect then moved his hands in an exclamatory sign and continued laughing before pleading not guilty.

While Presiding Judge Abdul Jawad asked the suspect if there was any connection between him and the claimant, N.V. said: "There is no connection between us… at a certain period of time she worked with us and now she stopped. I am innocent."

The Egyptian, B.A., testified that the incident involved one of the furniture transportation company workers, who was hired by her Egyptian employer.

"Four workers and I were going in the lift… three went out at the ground floor level and the suspect escorted me to the underground parking. N.V. groped my buttocks, hugged and tried to kiss me while I was putting two bags in the trunk. I pushed him and ran to the elevator… he took one lift and I used the other. I cried and told my employer what happened," alleged B.A. in her prosecution statement.

The employer testified that B.A. had sobbed until she reported the matter to her husband who informed the police. She also claimed that N.V. had offered her housemaid hush money.

A Yemeni corporal, who questioned the suspect, testified that the latter denied molesting the teenager or breaching her privacy.

A judgment will be heard on June 10.