UAE | Crime
Rape victim tells Dubai court of terrifying desert ordeal
Dubai judge hears behind closed door a woman's account of rape ordeal in the desert
- By Bassam Za'za, Senior Reporter
- Published: 00:00 September 3, 2010
Dubai: In a public hearing, a court on Thursday heard a woman's statement on her alleged kidnap by a visitor, before the judge decided to hear, behind closed doors, how she was raped.
The 36-year-old Lebanese woman testified in a public hearing before the Dubai Court of First Instance on how the 26-year-old Omani suspect lured her into his car and drove her against her will towards a deserted spot.
When she reached [in her statement] the details concerning how she was allegedly raped, she stopped talking in front of Presiding Judge Hamad Abdul Latif Abdul Jawad.
"Yes, what happened after you reached the desert area! What happened and how did he attack you?" the judge asked the 36-year-old Z.H. She did not reply and stood puzzled in front of the three-judge panel.
Seemingly understanding the reason the alleged victim was hesitant to continue her statement, Presiding Judge Abdul Jawad immediately ordered the policemen to evacuate courtroom four.
"Police please empty the courtroom. We will hear her statement behind closed doors," the judge was heard telling the attendees.
Denied
The suspect, A.K., had earlier denied the charges of kidnapping and raping Z.H. after assaulting her with a stick in a desert area in Umm Al Quwain.
Prosecutors charged the suspect with kidnapping the woman [who claimed in court on Thursday that she came to Dubai as a jobseeker] from Shaikh Zayed Road (SZR) and drove off to a desert spot where he undressed and raped her after he beat her.
Z.H. stated during Thursday\s hearing: "I had only been in Dubai for two days [on a visit visa] when the incident happened. A.K. phoned me by mistake, and when he repeatedly called me, we became friends over the phone… but only friends. That day, I told him [over phone] that I was going to a bar to have alcohol… I accepted his suggestion to go for shisha on SZR. I waited outside the hotel, when he arrived, he asked me to join him… I agreed that he dropped me at my car which was parked a few metres ahead. He was supposed to lead the way and I would drive behind him…"
The woman alleged to the court that the defendant beat her and prevented her from going down then drove off to a deserted place.
When asked by the judge about the distance between the hotel and the spot where she claimed she was raped, Z.H. answered: "I don't know the distance between the hotel and the desert and I don't know how long he did drive…"
Thereafter, Presiding Judge Abdul Jawad continued hearing the woman's statement behind closed doors.
Prosecutors said the defendant tricked Z.H. claiming that he will drop her to her car. Instead, he drove her against her will to a desert area where he molested and raped her.
In her prosecution statement, the woman alleged: "He pulled my hair and assaulted me when I tried to open the door and leave his car. He told me to shut up when I asked him about his destination. Suddenly, he drove off the main road to a deserted spot. He stopped and pulled me out of the car by force then undressed and raped me."
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