Man jailed for raping, filming show jumping champ
Defendant lured equestrian champ to his home and raped her
Dubai: A man, who lured a horse jumping champion to his villa where he beat her up and then filmed himself raping her, has been jailed for life.
In June, the Egyptian equestrian champion was participating in a local show jumping competition, when she received missed several calls from her Emirati male friend, 24.
When she returned the calls, the accused called the Egyptian girl, a college student, over to his residence in Dubai International City to discuss what he said was an important issue.
According to court records, when the woman reached the villa of the accused, she tried to avoid going inside the villa, but the defendant pulled her into his house.
Thinking he was playing a joke, the victim initially took the matter lightly, but later realised the seriousness of the matter when the convict lifted her up on his shoulder and took her to his bedroom.
The Emirati locked the door of his first-floor bedroom and when she refused to remove her clothes to have sex, he turned violent and beat her up.
He then removed the victims’s clothes forcibly and filmed himself raping her.
The equestrian champion later reported the matter to police and the defendant was arrested.
On Wednesday, the Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the Emirati of beating the victim, raping her and breaching her privacy by filming the rape.
Presiding judge Fahd Al Shamsi also referred the horse-jumping champion’s civil lawsuit to the Dubai Civil Court.
The Egyptian woman had lodged her civil lawsuit, in which she is seeking Dh21,000 in temporary compensation against moral and emotional damages.
The victim said in her lawsuit that she was seeking temporary compensation plus 12 per cent legal interest against mental, moral and future damages that were inflicted on her because of the defendant’s criminal behaviour.
The Emirati pleaded not guilty in court.
A police lieutenant testified that the accused had alleged he had consensual sex with the victim.
“He said during questioning that she came to his place and seduced him … she is the one who initiated the sex. He claimed that she fabricated the rape incident after he found her stealing Dh50,000 from his place.
“During questioning, the victim said she had consensual sex with the suspect’s friend. When the latter was summoned for interrogation, he claimed that he had broken up with the victim because she had stolen Dh4,000 from another friend after she had sex with him,” the lieutenant told prosecutors.
The primary ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.