Dubai: A man will spend two years in prison for raping a mentally ill woman at a hotel, a Dubai Court of First Instance ruled on Monday.
The Pakistani defendant, 32, posed as an Emirati when he met the Emirati woman, 38, on Instagram.
She testified that for 17 years she was suffering from a mental disorder and that she wasn’t aware of what happened at the hotel as she stopped taking her medicine.
“He told me that he is an Emirati man and asked to meet in a hotel room claiming that he didn’t want to see me in public,” she was quoted in court papers.
When the two met on September 19, 2018, the defendant dragged her to bed and raped her.
“I was afraid my parents will know what happened and then will put me in hospital. I was suffering from hallucinations following the incident. I could see scary things and hear voices,” said the woman.
However, she informed her mother of the incident later, and was then taken by her family to a private clinic for treatment.
She alerted Al Ameen service who advised her to file a case against the defendant at Bur Dubai police station.
The accused was arrested and referred to prosecutors. During questioning, he denied a rape charge.
A medical report from Rashid Hospital stated that the woman had been a frequent patient at several public and private hospitals for treatment for bipolar disorder and depression.
The defendant will be deported after serving his jail term. The verdict is a subject of appeal within two weeks.
