Man acquitted of raping woman in Dubai

Dubai

An Emirati man has been acquitted of raping a woman accountant after following her from a nightclub to her home.

The Dubai Court of First Instance heard on Sunday that the 24-year-old Moroccan accountant had walked out of a nightclub at 3am one morning last May and was waiting for a taxi to go home when the 40-year-old Emirati offered her a ride.

The woman was chatting over the phone with her Syrian florist when she dodged the Emirati, according to records, and rode a taxi back to her residence in Al Nahda.

Once she walked into the building where she lives, the woman found that the Emirati had followed her into the elevator and stood behind her.

He told her that he wanted to ensure that she had arrived home safely because she was drunk.

The 24-year-old said she was still chatting with her friend when she took out the keys to the door of her flat.

She claimed that the defendant forced her to unlock the door and kicked her down to the floor.

Records said he stormed in, closed the door, snatched her phone and hung up on the florist with whom she had still been talking.

The Emirati allegedly threatened to slaughter the Moroccan before he carried her into her bedroom and raped her.

The Syrian florist, who rushed to the aid of his Moroccan friend, stormed into the flat and pulled the Emirati away.

Records said the Emirati broke a flower vase and used a piece of that vase to threaten the Syrian man, who rushed out of the flat and called the police.

Prosecutors accused the suspect of using physical violence while raping the accountant in her flat.

However, the Emirati who denied the charges earlier, has been acquitted.

The verdict will be a subject to appeal within two weeks.