Teacher retracts rape testimony
Woman says she's not proficient enough in English to understand the authorities' questions
Dubai: A teacher told a court on Sunday that prosecutors questioned her without a Russian translator in a case involving a salesman who is accused of kidnapping and raping her.
The 29-year-old Pakistani salesman, who is now married to the teacher, had pleaded not guilty before the Dubai Court of First Instance where he denied the charges of kidnapping the 32-year-old Belarussian teacher and raping her in a desert area in February.
“There was no Russian language translator when the public prosecution heard my statement. I know English but I do not have an excellent command of the language. I studied in Russian language and not English,” said the woman as she testified before presiding judge Mohammad Jamal.
Through a translator, she maintained that she had not testified the suspect kidnapped or raped her.
“He did not kidnap or rape me. He is my husband. We had a heated argument and he assaulted me. I did not know what did they mention in my previously translated statement, but I didn’t say that he kidnapped or raped me,” she testified.
“Were you married to the Pakistani suspect when the incident happened?” the presiding judge asked.
“We got married in June but when the incident happened, he was my fiance,” she replied.
During Sunday’s hearing, the suspect’s lawyer Saeed Al Gailani contended that his client did not kidnap or rape the woman, who is his wife.
“The witness should have been questioned in her mother tongue language [Russian]. What happened that day was that my client felt jealous and assaulted her when he saw her dancing with another man at the nightclub. He did not kidnap her or rape her,” argued lawyer Al Gailani.
Records said the Belarussian teacher was accompanied by the Pakistani to a nightclub where they consumed liquor and danced in February.
At closing time, the teacher accepted the Pakistani’s offer to drop her back home, and went with him in his car to Port Saeed area.
During the car ride, the two had a heated argument. He then stopped the car in a desert area and reportedly raped her.
“Following the heated argument, my client hugged her and forgave her. They had consensual sex thereafter. He didn’t rape or kidnap her. There was no translator when she was questioned. The Belarussian has converted to Islam in June and then they got married,” defended Al Gailani who also provided the court with a copy of the marriage contract.
The lawyer asked the court to acquit his client or grant him a lenient punishment or fine.
A verdict will be heard on October 21.