Dubai: An army corporal will have to spend a year in jail instead of seven, after the appellate court decided that he had consensual sex with his maid and didn’t rape her.

Defending himself before the Dubai Appeal Court, the 37-year-old Emirati corporal countered his 29-year-old Filipina maid’s rape allegations and admitted that they had consensual sex.

In July, the Dubai Court of First Instance jailed the defendant for seven years after convicting him of having unwanted sex with the maid after he asked her to wash his uniform in November 2013.

Records said the corporal handed his uniform to the Filipina to wash shortly after returning from duty. Then he dragged her into his bedroom where she alleged he raped her.

After having refuted the rape allegations, the Appeal Court cancelled the primary ruling [seven years in jail] and sentenced the defendant to one year in jail.

The Emirati’s lawyer said before the appellate court that the corporal had consensual sex with the maid.

“She [the housemaid] exchanged phone calls and SMSs with my client. She is the one who invited him to her room. She tried to extort money from him when she complained. She blackmailed him and asked for money to waive her accusation,” argued the lawyer.

The Filipina alleged that the incident happened around 3pm shortly after her sponsor arrived home. He handed her his uniform to wash.

“When he learnt that there was nobody at home, the defendant forced me into his bedroom. He pinned me down to the floor and had sex with me. Once he finished, I rushed to my bedroom and locked myself inside. He knocked on the door... but I did not answer. He apologised to me in English but I asked him to leave me alone. When he left by car, I immediately rushed out of the house and went to the Philippines consulate.”

Records said consulate staff referred the woman to the recruitment agency that flew her into Dubai.

The agency’s staff took the woman to hospital. An officer told prosecutors that the Filipina guided them to her sponsor’s house in Oud Al Muteenah.

“All her claims were unfounded and fabricated. They had consensual sex and he did not rape her,” argued the lawyer when he countered the maid’s claims before the appellate court.

Sunday’s ruling remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 30 days.