Dubai: A legal adviser has been jailed for three years for stalking a wife while her husband was detained and then trespassing into her flat and molesting her.

The Egyptian legal adviser, W.A., repeatedly attempted to befriend the Algerian wife and showered her with gifts and flowers in February 2014 when he handled the case of her husband.

He also asked her out on a date on Valentine’s Day the same year.

W.A. constantly sweet-talked the wife and told her to enjoy her life because her husband’s stay behind bars would last long due to the number of cases lodged against him.

The Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced W.A. in absentia and convicted him of trespassing and molesting the woman in her residence.

W.A. knocked on the woman’s door at noon, according to records, and when she answered thinking it was her children, the accused entered the flat and molested her.

According to Monday’s ruling, presiding judge Urfan Omar said the accused will be deported following the completion of his punishment.

The wife injured her hand with a tiny knife that she had been holding in a keychain when she defended herself and yelled at the adviser, who ran away.

Prosecutors said W.A. entered the woman’s flat without her consent and molested her.

The woman testified that the incident happened after her husband phoned her from prison to inform her that he would arrange with a lawyer to get out on bail.

“My husband called up a lawyer, who told him that he would have a legal adviser from his office communicate with me to go to the public prosecution for the bail procedures. W.A. called me and introduced himself … then he picked up me and my children and took us to see my husband and then to the public prosecution. Thereafter he started contacting me more often and SMS-ed me … he sweet-talked me and flattered me a lot. I told him to stop. He discussed his marital disputes with me and sent me gifts … he brought presents for my children. He told me to live my life and not to wait for my husband, claiming that his stay in prison would be long. I changed my contact numbers because of him. His constantly stalked me and asked me out on Valentine’s Day. He left flowers and perfumes on my doorstep. I threatened to report him to the police and to tell my husband. He dared me to do so … when my husband was released, I was afraid to tell him because I did not want any trouble between them. When my husband was in Abu Dhabi, the defendant forced himself into my place and molested me. I injured my hand while defending myself … he absconded and I went to hospital where I had three stitches,” she claimed.

The woman reported the matter to the police a month later.

The defendant is entitled to a retrial since he has been sentenced in absentia.