Dubai: Prosecutors have lost an appeal against a driver, who was cleared on Wednesday of kidnapping a waitress and threatening to kill her if she didn’t have sex with him.
The 34-year-old Pakistani taxi driver, S.N., had strongly denied the charge of luring the Filipina waitress when he offered to drive her to her home and threatening to kill her if she didn’t sleep with him in April 2014.
The Dubai Appeal Court dismissed prosecutors’ appeal to overturn S.N.’s acquittal and jail him.
Presiding judge Saeed Salem Bin Sarm upheld the innocence of S.N., who, according to the appellate ruling, was cleared due to lack of corroborated evidence.
When he defended himself before the appellate court, the suspect refuted the claim that he locked the doors of his vehicle, changed the route and stopped in a deserted area where he threatened to kill the waitress if she did not have sex with him.
Prosecution records said the 24-year-old waitress misled S.N. by claiming that she was thirsty and asked him for water before she opened the door and fled.
Prosecutors said the driver kidnapped the waitress after he deceived her and threatened her verbally saying that he would kill her.
The defendant locked the taxi doors and drove off and had the intention of having sex with the Filipina, said prosecutors.
The woman alleged that the incident happened shortly after she left work and was waiting for a taxi in Al Karama.
“He stopped before me and offered to drive me home. He took a different route and he did not start the meter. When I asked him why, he asked me to remain silent … he shouted at me. I took out my mobile wanting to call the police, but he yelled at me and ordered me to switch off my phone. He dragged out a shaft and threatened to beat me. I was scared and cried. When I spotted a petrol station, I asked him to stop because I needed to buy water to drink. He refused and said he would give me water. After 10 minutes of driving, he stopped at the roadside and asked me to take off my clothes. When I refused, he threatened to kill me if I did not yield. Once again I asked him for water to mislead him and try to flee … when he turned towards his door to pick up a bottle of water, I opened the door and ran. He took off quickly,” the waitress claimed.
Wednesday’s ruling remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 30 days.
