Man jailed for stealing ex-girlfriend’s phone and sharing her private photos on WhatsApp
Defendant admits to sending pictures and messages to the victim’s family members
Dubai: A Dubai-based man who published private photos of his former girlfriend on Facebook has been sentenced to six months in jail, to be followed by deportation.
The man was initially sentenced to two years in jail, but Dubai Court of Appeals reduced the sentence to six months in jail, while retaining the order to deport him after serving his term.
Phone stealing
The Dubai Court of First Instance heard that the defendant stole the woman’s smartphone while she was at a shopping centre in Dubai and threatened to publish her private pictures on her Facebook account. He also threatened to send the pictures to her husband and other family members.
The woman said on record that she knew the defendant before she got married to another man.
“I was already married and had a baby. I asked him [the defendant] not to contact me in future, but he threatened to make public my personal pictures if I broke off,” said the woman on record.
Husband testifies
The woman’s husband testified that he was surprised to receive WhatsApp messages from his wife despite the fact that she was with him at home. She told him that her phone was stolen and someone was trying to blackmail her. They then reported the incident to Dubai Police.
The defendant was arrested and he admitted to sending pictures and messages to the woman’s family members via WhatsApp. The defendant was charged with robbery and blackmail.