Dubai: An accountant has been cleared of molesting a woman in his flat after he invited her to his place to connect to WiFi and use the internet.

The Filipina visitor had mistakenly stepped out of the lift on the 12th floor instead of the 22nd floor when she went to check on the flat of her sister, who was away on holiday in January.

The 26-year-old visitor stepped out of the lift and when she tried to open the flat that she thought was that of her sister’s, the door did not open.

She heard some noises in that flat, according to records, and when she tried to connect to a WiFi to contact her sister on WhatsApp, she couldn’t.

The 34-year-old Egyptian accountant agreed to allow the Filipina into his flat and provide her with WiFi to contact her sister. Then she alleged that he molested her.

However, the accountant accused the Filipina of fabricating her accusations out of malice. When he defended himself before the Dubai Court of First Instance, he contended that she had lied.

Citing lack of corroborated evidence that the accountant had molested the Filipina, presiding judge Shaikha Hamad acquitted the Egyptian on Tuesday.

The visitor had alleged that when she entered the man’s flat, he provided her with the WiFi password and when she started using the network, the accountant pushed her on to a sofa and molested her.

The man described what was alleged by the Filipina as unfounded and baseless. “I did not do that … I did not touch her,” he told the court.

The Filipina claimed to prosecutors that she scolded the man and pushed him away.

“When I shouted at him, he stood confused. Then I walked out of the flat quickly and went straight up to my sister’s place. Then I called the police and I guided them to the suspect’s flat,” she alleged.

A policeman, who questioned the suspect, testified to prosecutors that the man said she had been crying and asked him for a WiFi connection to call her sister.

“The man told me that he did not molest her. The woman had claimed that he did not allow her to leave the flat and threw her on the sofa and tried to rape her,” said the policeman.

Tuesday’s ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.