Dubai: An off-duty policeman has been jailed for one year for trying to rape a saleswoman and forcing her to perform bizarre sexual activities on him after she met him to promote a bank product.

The 26-year-old Filipina saleswoman called the 28-year-old policeman [who was not on duty then] and agreed to meet him in a Starbucks branch in Deira to promote a new credit card advertised by her bank in May 2017.

After meeting and discussing details of the new product, the policeman took the Filipina in his car on the pretext of going to the bank’s branch to sign the required papers.

However, he intentionally missed the turn to the branch where the Filipina works and drove towards Al Rashidiya where he pretended to be heading to another branch.

The man stopped in a parking lot, locked the car, closed the front curtain and jumped to the back seat where the Filipina was seated and abused her sexually.

The accused dropped the woman at a petrol station to go to the washroom, wash her clothes and freshen up so he could drop her back to the bank.

The saleswoman locked herself inside the washroom, called a friend, who picked her up and took her to the police station to report the incident.

On Tuesday, the Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the defendant of rape bid and molestation.

The accused will be deported after serving his jail term, said presiding judge Mohammad Jamal.

Police identified the defendant from his car number plate.

The defendant pleaded not guilty in the court.

The Filipina said she agreed to meet the suspect at a cafe near her workplace to explain to him about the credit card features.

“He said that he would sign the contract at the bank’s branch because it is safer. Although I had introduced myself formally and showed him my bank ID, I agreed to accompany him to the branch after he claimed that it would be more official. He stopped in a parking lot … asked me if I am married or have a boyfriend. I told him not to discuss that with me. He moved to the back seat where I was sitting and undressed me forcibly. He coerced me to perform oral sex on him … he also abused me sexually when he failed to rape me. After he dropped me at a petrol station to wash up, I locked myself inside a washroom and called my friend for help,” she testified to prosecutors.

The Egyptian friend said when the victim told him what had happened, he accompanied her to the police station.

A police lieutenant said the defendant admitted to him during questioning that the saleswoman had performed oral sex on him and massaged him.

The primary ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.