Man pleads not guilty to molestation charges

Dubai: Distributing flyers in residential buildings for a beauty salon turned into a frightening experience for an Iranian woman when one of the residents allegedly attempted to pull her into his apartment.

The 27-year-old Sri Lankan man, identified as S.L., told the public prosecutor that he had thought the woman was offering massages.

The man has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted rape. The 34-year-old woman, identified as A.H., said while she was distributing flyers at a building at Discovery Gardens, she heard footsteps behind her and the defendant calling her.

"I thought he wanted to enquire about the saloon but I carried on what I was doing until I passed by one of the apartments," the woman told the prosecutor. The defendant then attempted to pull her into the apartment by pulling her right hand at the wrist, she said.

"He was speaking to me in English but I told him I don't speak English. I was shocked to see the apartment door open and there were many men's shoes outside, which increased my fear. I tried to run away but he was holding on to my sleeve. At last, I managed to get inside the elevator but he followed me," she said.

According to A.H., the defendant pressed on various floor buttons and was still trying to pull her out of the elevator until the door closed. He then tried to pin her to the wall inside the elevator. "I was fighting with all my strength, and when we reached the ground floor I started screaming and calling security and other residents, while S.L. ran after me saying ‘Sorry madam'," A.H. said.

The judgment will be handed down on July 28.