Dubai A carpenter won his appeal after a court reduced his 15-year jail sentence to 10 years for raping a cleaner at City Walk while she was cleaning a washroom.

The 47-year-old Indian carpenter dragged the 25-year-old Nepalese cleaner out of the washroom, forced her into a small fitting room where he slapped her repeatedly before raping her in July 2016.

The victim ran out of the washroom and alerted a guard about what had happened.

The guard called for an ambulance and reported the matter. The police apprehended the carpenter who had been hiding between two cars in the open parking area at City Walk.

The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the 47-year-old of rape and sentenced him to 15 years in jail.

The accused appealed his punishment before the Appeal Court where he pleaded not guilty, denied rape and contended that he had consensual sex with the cleaner.

The presiding judge approved the defendant’s appeal and commuted his 15-year imprisonment to 10 years behind bars on grounds of leniency.

The defendant will be deported following the completion of his punishment, according to the appellate ruling.

The Nepalese woman said the accused was drunk when he dragged her out of the washroom and pushed her into the fitting room.

“He took away my phone when I tried to call someone. I cried loudly for help … but he muzzled me. He forced me into the fitting room beside the washroom and repeatedly assaulted me when I refused to have sex with him. Then he pinned me down to the ground and raped me. While he was abusing me, he heard footsteps and realising that someone had walked into the washroom, ran away. I fixed my clothes and alerted the security guard about what had happened,” she testified.

A police lieutenant said when he arrived at the City Walk the cleaner was crying hysterically inside the ambulance while paramedics were treating her.

“After my colleagues apprehended the accused, who was hiding in the parking … the latter said he slapped the woman after she cursed him in the washroom. He alleged that when he entered the washroom again, the cleaner removed her clothes by herself and cursed him. He alleged that he does not remember what happened later because he was drunk. Later, he claimed that they had consensual sex,” the lieutenant testified.

The appellate ruling remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court.