Dubai: An employee landed in hot water after his colleague accused him of grabbing her hand by surprise and kissing it when she tried to pick up her pen.
The 43-year-old Indian airline employee was said to be helping his 26-year-old Emirati colleague while she was undergoing an online aviation test when he touched and kissed her hand against her will in February 2015.
Prosecutors accused the suspect of molesting the Emirati woman by touching her hand and kissing it while they were present at one of the halls of Dubai International Airport.
The Indian pleaded not guilty when he defended himself before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Sunday.
“I did not touch her… I am innocent,” the defendant told presiding judge Fahd Al Shamsi in courtroom seven.
The 26-year-old woman testified to prosecutors that the suspect had been her work supervisor for nearly one year.
“I was stationed at the customer service counter at Terminal 2 when a colleague of mine asked me to take a break at 11.30pm. I headed to the rest area and there I met the defendant. He offered to bring me tea, but I refused. Then he informed me that there was an online aviation test… we headed to the testing room and logged in to the system. He offered to help me while doing the test, but I did not pass. Then he asked me not to worry and promised to help me pass… in the meantime, my pen fell on the floor. When I knelt down to pick it up, he grabbed my hand and kissed it. Then he told me ‘I will help you pass the exam, don’t worry’. I drew my hand back quickly and left the room. The next day my husband and I complained to the police,” she claimed to prosecutors.
The suspect was cited admitting to prosecutors that he kissed the woman’s hand.
A ruling will be heard on April 15.
