Off-duty policeman jailed for molesting stewardess

Dubai: An off-duty policeman has been jailed for two years for luring a stewardess into his car and molesting her.

The 28-year-old man, S.N., coerced the Italian stewardess to ride in his car before he drove to a secluded area where he molested her.

The defendant followed the woman after she left a popular hotel on Shaikh Zayed Road accompanied by her male friend to Al Hudaiba in September.

After the friend walked away, S.N. lured the woman to his car claiming he wanted to check her identity before he molested her.

The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted S.N. of kidnapping the woman, threatening to dishonour her and molesting her.

“I did not kidnap or molest her. I was in Abu Dhabi when the incident happened,” S.N. claimed in court earlier.

Presiding judge Mohammad Jamal warned the defendant on Tuesday and told him to appeal the primary ruling when the latter tried to complain in court.

The defendant tricked the Italian woman and lured her into his car, according to records, and threatened to inform the police that he had caught her kissing her male friend in the taxi.

The stewardess said the incident happened around 11pm.

“My friend and I took a taxi. The defendant came on foot and told the driver that he would fine him for wrong parking. The driver left immediately. My friend had already left and while I was walking to my building, the defendant presented a police ID. I refused twice to ride in his car. When he insisted the third time, I hopped into his car out of fear. Once I handed him my ID, he took off, drove for nearly 10 minutes until he reached Wafi Centre. He parked in a poorly lit area. When I refused to answer personal questions, he got angry and claimed that I might be drugged or drunk and that he had to search me … I said no. I refused to allow him to search me. I said I would not mind being searched by a policewoman. Then he said he would report to the police that I had been kissing my friend in the taxi. He asked me to raise my hands and when I did he molested me. He put his hand inside my blouse,” she testified.

Records said S.N. was identified from the number plate of his rented car.

Tuesday’s ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.