Dubai: A worker has been cleared of attempting to rape a housemaid at her residence but was sentenced to a month in jail for trespassing.

The Dubai Court of First Instance acquitted the Indian worker, F.H., 30, of attempting to rape the 25-year-old Filipina housemaid for lack of corroborated evidence. The chief judge however upheld a charge of trespassing based on evidence that F.H. had entered the housemaid’s residence without permission.

F.H. is expected to be released from detention soon as he has already been in detention for a month.

The housemaid told prosecutors that she foiled F.H.’s attempt to rape her by biting him and locking him up inside her bedroom.

Prosecutors said F.H. chased the housemaid to the bedroom where he forcibly hugged and kissed her before undressing her and pinning her down to the floor with the intention of sexual assault. The maid claimed she bit F.H. in the hand before grabbing the door keys from the table and locking him inside.

“No I did not trespass into the villa. Actually she is the one who invited me in… I am not guilty,” F.H. argued.

Prosecutors said the defendant had entered the Emirati sponsor’s villa without permission and ripped off the woman’s clothes and tried to rape her. They said he failed in his motives after the housemaid resisted him with all the strength she could muster.

According to Tuesday’s judgement, F.H. could not be convicted of attempted rape because of the uncorroborated evidence.

The housemaid testified that she was in the laundry room when the defendant walked in behind her around 8:30am. “I ran to my bedroom. He followed me inside… he hugged me from the back and kissed me. He forcibly removed my lower dress and threw me on the ground… and he prevented me from calling my sponsor. I prevented him from raping me and ran out. I locked him in the bedroom and ran to the garage to see if my sponsor had returned. I didn’t find the car. F.H. ran away from the window. When my sponsor’s wife came home, I told her what happened.”

The sponsor later alerted the police about the incident leading to F.H’s arrest.

The primary judgement remains subject to appeal within 15 days.