Court upholds two-year jail term for cross-dresser

Dubai: The Dubai Appeal Court has upheld a two-year jail term against a Filipino man for cross-dressing, molestation and posing as a woman to lure female patients to a clinic to perform unlicensed laser cosmetic surgery.

Presiding Judge Eisa Al Sharif also confirmed that the 42-year-old Filipino, E.G, would later be deported after finding him guilty of dressing like a woman and pretending to be female to lure women to a private clinic where he performed unlicensed cosmetic surgery.

Prosecutors charged E.G. with molesting an undercover municipality inspector and endangering her life while removing hair from her armpit.

The accused refuted the accusations: “I did not perform a laser session or molest her. I only showed her the laser machine.”

Prosecutors accused E.G. of molesting a Sudanese inspector by peeping at the upper part of her body and touching her.

He was said to have worn women’s clothes and posed as a woman to be able to practise medicine without obtaining a licence from the health authorities.

Records said he burnt the inspector, I.F’s, skin when he removed hair from her armpit using the laser.

I.F. visited E.G. at a residential flat (where the unlicensed laser treatments were being carried out as part of a beauty salon).

She then posed as a client as part of a sting operation.

“We learnt from Dubai Municipality that a beauty salon performed unlicensed laser treatments. I visited the salon as part of sting operation. A Filipina welcomed me to do a laser session.

“A health inspector [who was part of the sting operation team] accompanied me. When E.G. walked in, I thought he was a woman. He wore a woman’s outfit, and had nail polish, make-up and behaved like a woman.

“E.G. asked me to remove my abaya, he burnt my skin when he placed the laser under my armpit. After giving the agreed signal, police raided the place and arrested the defendant,” I.F. said.

An Emirati policeman said E.G. confessed that his sponsor hired him to work in the flat.

E.G. said he worked as a dancer and took special pills to enlarge his breasts.

Prosecution records said the flat and the salon were not permitted by the health authorities to perform cosmetic surgeries.

The judgment remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 28 days.