Court acquits maid of theft charge

Dubai: A housemaid, who sought to swear by the Quran to profess her innocence on the complaint that she stole from her sponsor, has been acquitted for lack of evidence.

The Dubai Court of First Instance acquitted the 22-year-old Ethiopian of theft after she pleaded not guilty and accused her Emirati sponsor of bringing up the case against her maliciously.

When the accused first appeared in court, she cried and asked the judge to allow her to swear by the Quran.

"I swear by God that I did not steal anything. Your honour, please allow me to swear on the Quran that I did not rob any jewellery from the claimant," said the defendant when she appeared in court.

Absconding

Prosecutors charged the defendant, F.N., with stealing four gold rings worth Dh3,500 which belonged to her sponsor.

The housemaid pleaded not guilty and claimed before Presiding Judge Fahmi Mounir: "My employer has not paid my salary for months. I haven't received a penny from them. This is a malicious theft complaint."

Records showed that the housemaid remained absconding since December 27, 2007, the date when she was said to have robbed her sponsor.

The 28-year-old Emirati complainant testified that her aunt woke her up and informed her that the suspect absconded on the day of the incident.

"I checked her room which turned out to be empty. She took her belongings and disappeared. Later, I realised that she reportedly stole the rings from my bedroom. We reported the police," added the Emirati housewife.

Her husband testified: "I was abroad when my wife informed me that the suspect absconded and stole her rings. She told me over the phone that F.N. quarrelled with our children before she absconded."