Prosecutors vow to protect Dubai tourists
Crimes against visitors to be dealt with strictly
Dubai: Dubai prosecutors have described suspects, who offend tourists and disgrace the country's tourism industry, as ‘dangerous criminals' and have shown keen determination in prosecuting them before the criminal courts.
Criminals who commit crimes against tourists and abuse the country's safety and stability to disgrace tourism and its image will be prosecuted and punished sternly, said a senior prosecutor before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Thursday.
The issue surfaced on Thursday at courtroom four, where a 30-year-old Jordanian salesman was scheduled to be prosecuted on charges of blackmailing a Russian female tourist and threatening to kill her.
The Public Prosecution charged the salesman, S.S., with threatening to kill the 35-year-old tourist, N.P., if she reported the police that he asked her to pay him Dh7,000 to return her lost passport.
Senior Prosecutor Khalid Al Zarouni mentioned in the charges sheet, upon which S.S. was referred to court: "We urge the jury to implement the toughest punishment applicable against the suspect, who should also be deported because he represents an imminent danger to society. He took advantage of the UAE's stability and security provided to tourists, to benefit unlawfully and cruelly.
"We strongly urge the court to deport S.S. and other potential suspects, who are a threat to our state security and stability and disgraces the country's reputation amongst tourists. S.S. has a criminal record and has not been deported."
When the suspect did not appear, Presiding Judge Hamad Abdul Latif Abdul Jawad asked the hearing secretary whether S.S. was legally notified to attend the hearing.
The secretary said S.S.'s address could not be identified. "Your honour, he is currently detained and being questioned over a rape case," Al Zarouni told the jury.
Interrogation
Gulf News has learnt that S.S. has been locked up in Al Rashidiya police station and is being questioned for allegedly raping a 25-year-old British woman.
Meanwhile in yesterday's hearing, prosecutors charged S.S. with threatening to kill N.P. and blackmailing her to pay him Dh7,000 to return her passport. He was additionally charged with consuming liquor.
"After he dropped me home, I realised that I lost my passport… he claimed to me the next day that a Russian man found my passport and asked me to pay Dh5,000 to get it back. Later, he phoned me repeatedly and asked me to pay Dh7,000 for the passport. He threatened me," the tourist said in her testimony.
An Emirati policeman testified that after N.P. reported the threat, police detained the defendant in a sting operation. "I heard S.S. threatening her over the phone during the sting operation," said the policeman.
The trial reconvenes until S.S. is legally notified about the case.
