Woman 'threatened to harm child' for Dh700

Dubai: A jobless woman has been accused of threatening to harm the children of a housewife who provided her with a room to stay, if she did not give her Dh700.

The 25-year-old Pakistani woman, S.O., was said to have shared the Emirati housewife’s villa for nearly five months before she verbally threatened to harm her children if she did not pay her money.

Prosecutors accused the Pakistani woman of threatening the Emirati, cursing her and intentionally wrecking her mobile phone and glass cups and dishes.

“I did not threaten to do anything to her or to her children. I did not curse her … but, yes, I destroyed the dishes and cups because I was angry,” said S.O. when she entered her plea before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Tuesday.

“Why did you do that?” presiding judge Mohammad Jamal asked the defendant, who is in custody.

“She used to give me money. She paid me for two months and when she did not pay the last time, we had a disagreement,” replied the Pakistani.

The Emirati testified to prosecutors that the incident happened in April while she was sitting with her children in the majlis.

“S.O. had been staying with us in the villa for five months. My children and I were seated inside and my son walked out to the yard… suddenly she came in from the side door into the kitchen. She was nervous and shouted at me. She tried to hit my daughter, but I sent all my children to another room. I took the defendant to another room in order to calm her down… she asked me to pay her Dh700 because she needed it urgently. Then she threatened to have my son hurt in a car accident if I failed to give her the money,” claimed the housewife.

Prosecution records said the Emirati had paid the defendant money several times because she used to threaten to harm her children.

“When I told her that I might not be able to give her Dh700, she got angry and cursed me. She insulted me and tried to assault me as well. Then I reported her to the police,” the Emirati claimed to prosecutors.

The housewife’s daughter testified to prosecutors that she heard the defendant threatening to harm her brother and she saw her destroying cups and dishes in the kitchen.

The trial continues.