Molestation in lift lands man in prison

Dubai: A visitor has been jailed for molesting a woman he met in a hypermarket, although he denied the charge and accused her of blackmailing him.

The Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced the 24-year-old Palestinian visitor to three months in jail. He will be deported after serving his imprisonment.

The accused, identified as M.S., pleaded not guilty to following the 24-year-old American woman into an elevator and molesting her.

"I didn't know the girl whom I met in a hypermarket... I thought she wanted to be friends. When I was escorting her home, I overheard her seeking advice over the phone as to how much money she could win if she accused me of harassing her," the accused argued in court.

Records cited the American as saying: "I met him in a supermarket at International City. He chased me to the building where I lived and took the elevator with me ... he stopped it and sexually harassed me. When the elevator door opened, he escaped."

A policeman testified the woman gave the police M.S.'s contact number which she claimed she obtained from the hypermarket. "Police summoned the accused who confessed to what happened," said the policeman.