Dubai court acquits two Emirati men of kidnapping and rape charges

Dubai: The Dubai Criminal Court has cleared two Emirati men of serious charges, including kidnapping, rape, and sexual assault by force, after several court sessions that involved careful review of evidence, witness accounts, and medical reports. In the end, the court decided there wasn’t enough proof to convict either man.

According to the Public Prosecution, the first defendant — an unemployed Emirati — was accused of luring a woman to a private farm, locking her in a room, threatening to kill her, raping her by force, and physically attacking her. The second defendant, an Emirati who works in administration, was said to have helped by offering the location (his own farm), taking part in the assault, and hitting the woman with a horse whip.

The case was built on the woman’s testimony. She told prosecutors that she had received a phone call from the first man on the morning of the incident. They agreed to meet for dinner in the Al Khawaneej area, but he later took her to the Al Tayy area, where the alleged crime took place. There, she said, she was threatened, beaten, and sexually assaulted by both men.

During the trial, the woman repeated her claims in front of the court. A police officer also testified, saying he had helped locate her after she sent a distress message. Medical reports presented during the case showed she had bruises and light injuries that would heal in less than 20 days. There were also two old tears in the hymen, but doctors couldn’t say when those had happened.

The defense lawyer, Mohammed Awami Al Mansoori, challenged the prosecution’s version. He argued that the woman had known the first defendant for a long time and had a consensual relationship with him. He noted that she admitted to getting into his car willingly and going with him by choice.

Al Mansoori pointed out that the medical reports didn’t show injuries that supported her claims of violent or forced rape. He reminded the court of the legal principle that says doubt should always benefit the accused — especially when there's no clear evidence that the woman was forced or physically stopped from leaving.

He also said that if two adults over the age of 18 engage in consensual sex, it is not considered a crime under UAE law. In this case, official documents confirmed the woman was of legal age.

The court agreed with the defense. In its written judgment, the court said the woman had an ongoing relationship with the first defendant, had met him several times, and had willingly accompanied him on the day of the incident. There was no proof that she tried to escape or was held against her will.

The court also clarified that it was not required to accept the legal classification of the events as separate crimes by the Public Prosecution. Instead, it viewed the situation as one that, at most, might have involved aggravating factors — but even that wasn’t clearly proven.

After reviewing all the evidence, the court found no solid proof of force or coercion. The medical reports did not support the woman’s claims of violent assault, and overall, the case left room for doubt — too much doubt to support a guilty verdict.

Both men were found not guilty on all charges. The court also dismissed a civil lawsuit the defendants had filed against the woman for reporting them, stating that anyone has the right to file a police complaint unless it’s proven they did so out of bad faith — which wasn’t the case here.