Man in Dubai charged with assaulting and threatening TV presenter over dispute
Appeals Court clears victim of charges of damaging defendant’s belongings
Dubai: A Dubai-based employee has been accused of assaulting and threatening a female TV presenter over publishing indecent pictures and clips.
According to the Dubai Court of Misdemeanour, the 32-year-old employee had a relationship with the TV anchor but things had gone wrong between the duo.
Dubai Police later received a report about an incident of mutual assault involving the couple at an apartment in the Al Barsha area. The woman told the police that the man had assaulted and insulted her while she was heading to present live news on television. A medical report corroborated her claims of being injured.
She testified that she had met the defendant nine months before the assault and they were in a relationship until the night of the incident, when a dispute broke out between them while she was in his apartment. “He slapped me on the face and I fell on a table and hurt my rib,” the woman said.
After reporting the incident to the police, the defendant threatened to publish their pictures if she sought any legal help. He also threatened to defame her on her television channel.
Meanwhile, the defendant testified that she had also insulted him as she thought that he was betraying her and broke his phone. He claimed that she tried to attack him, but he just pushed her away.
The defendant was charged with assaulting and threatening the woman, while the woman was charged with damaging the defendant’s belongings. Both were additionally charged with insulting each other.
Judges ordered the defendant to pay a fine of Dh10,000 while the woman was ordered to pay a fine of Dh5,000.
Emirati lawyer Mohammed Al Najar, representing the woman, appealed the verdict.
“The Court of First Instance had ruled that the defendant’s actions were related to the overall incident and that the threat charge was not a part of the original crime because the threat was issued after my client reported the incident to the police,” Al Najar told Dubai Appeal Court.
The lawyer further said that the defendant had fabricated the charges by claiming that the woman had damaged his table and mobile phone.
The Appeals Court overturned the initial verdict, clearing the woman of the charges of damaging property.