Dubai: Two Austrian sisters have been sentenced to three years each for assaulting and threatening to throw a businesswoman from the 41st floor of a tower at Dubai Marina.

The sisters assaulted the Saudi businesswoman, threatened to throw her from the 41st floor and robbed her of four cheques worth Dh14.72 million, besides cash and valuables.

The Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced the sisters in absentia on Thursday after they were convicted of beating up the Saudi and threatening to throw her from the balcony.

They were also found guilty of stealing cheques and important documents in January 2014.

Presiding judge Ezzat Abdul Lat said the accused will be deported following the completion of their punishments.

After having failed to appear in court twice, the defendants were sentenced in absentia as they are believed to be outside the country.

The defendants were said to have cursed the Saudi and taken away a laptop, cash and jewellery and a document pertaining to an ownership waiver of a property in North Cyprus, in addition to important business contracts.

According to the charge sheet, prosecutors said the sisters threatened to throw the businesswoman from the tower if she did not leave and allow them to take what they wanted. They cursed her and inflicted blows on different parts of her body.

The accused allegedly robbed the businesswoman of cheques worth Dh14.72 million ($4 million), around Dh77,200 ($21,000) in cash, Dh16,000 worth of jewellery, business contracts and the property waiver document.

The Saudi woman told prosecutors the defendants entered her flat without her consent carrying two huge travel bags at 11.30am.

“When I tried to prevent them from taking my documents and important papers, they assaulted me. I grabbed the telephone and dialled 999 and informed the policeman that the defendants were assaulting me. They kicked the building’s security guards who came and tried to stop them from assaulting me. They took my cheques and documents and left,” the businesswoman said.

A witness testified to prosecutors that the defendants were taken aback when they found the businesswoman in the flat. When one of them asked the Saudi why she was in the flat, the latter alleged she had rented the flat from the suspects’ father.

Records did not explain how the defendants and the Saudi woman knew one another.