Dubai: A jobless man has been accused of trespassing into a woman’s house and forcing her to strip at knifepoint before robbing her.

The 28-year-old man, Y.J., from Sierra Leone, was said to have sneaked into the Filipina’s bedroom from the balcony and threatened to kill her with the knife if she didn’t remove her clothes in December, 2014.

The suspect was drunk when he stole her cash, a necklace with a pendant and her laptop.

The suspect pleaded not guilty when he appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Sunday.

“I did not steal her laptop or cash. All these accusations are fabricated … I did not do any of that,” the suspect told presiding judge Mohammad Jamal in court. Prosecutors said he took Dh400 in cash and snatched the necklace from her neck.

The 25-year-old Filipina said she woke up around 2am and saw the suspect standing beside her bed at her flat in Al Baraha.

“He muzzled me once I tried to cry out for help. He asked me to remain silent otherwise he would kill me with a knife. He then asked me to take off my dress … but when I cried and covered my chest, he said ‘Do you want me to kill you!’. He took out of my wallet and took Dh400 … he forced me to undress and remain naked facing the wall. I managed to rush out of the room while he was busy searching the room for more things to steal. I locked myself up in my flatmates’ bedroom … they woke up and called the police immediately,” she testified.

Records said the defendant ran away before the police arrived.

“Two months after the incident, the police summoned me to the police station. I identified the suspect in the line up three times. The suspect had trespassed into my bedroom from the balcony … I stayed naked in front of him for nearly three minutes,” claimed the Filipina.

A police lieutenant testified to prosecutors that Y.J. was arrested for his involvement in another case of attempted rape.

“We brought him in for questioning, during which he admitted that he trespassed into the woman’s flat and threatened to kill her, forced her to strip and stole her belongings,” he claimed.

Presiding judge Jamal said a lawyer will be appointed to defend the suspect when the court reconvenes on February 23.