Salesman denies raping best friend

Dubai: A salesman has denied raping his best friend, a 28-year-old woman, at his flat after he spent the night out with her drinking in a pub.

Prosecution records said the 28-year-old Albanian woman, M.K., rejected the 34-year-old Iranian salesman, D.R.’s, sexual advances and told him that he was like a brother and wouldn’t allow him to sleep with her.

Prosecutors accused D.R. of raping M.K., who is a real estate expert, although records have shown that she waived her complaint against him.

D.R. pleaded not guilty when he appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance.

Gulf News has learnt that the Dubai Misdemeanour Court fined D.R. and M.K. Dh2,000 for consuming liquor that night at the pub.

According to the arraignment sheet, prosecutors said D.R. abused the fact that M.K. was in his bedroom and he took off her clothes and had sex with her against her will.

The Albanian woman testified that she agreed to meet the Iranian for a drink in a pub after having not seen him for a long time.

“We met in a pub in Tecom. He seemed very drunk and started telling me ‘I miss you honey, I love you and I want you to be mine tonight…’. I didn’t care much. We continued drinking. He repeated the same words. Then I told him that he was like my brother and I would never allow him to touch me. At first I refused to go with him to his flat when we left the pub… but then I agreed. His cousin was present in the sitting room. He asked me to go to his bedroom as I was used to doing so because he is like my brother and best friend… ten minutes later he walked into the bedroom.

“He came directly to me and said ‘I want you’. Then I said that I would prefer to kill myself before surrendering myself to him. He pushed me on his bed and had sex with me against my will. When he finished I went into the bathroom and washed. Then I left his flat and reported the incident,” M.K. claimed to prosecutors.

An Emirati policeman testified that the woman said she had known D.R. for six months and she always thought of him like a brother and best friend. She said they never had sex before.

“She claimed during questioning that he asked to have sex with her several times, but she always rejected him because he was her friend only. She said he raped her that night after she met him in a pub over a drink. She reported the incident the next day,” the policeman claimed to prosecutors.

Dubai Police’s forensic doctor testified that the woman’s examination did not show any bruises or injuries on her body.

The Iranian alleged during prosecution questioning that M.K. waived her complaint against him.

Meanwhile the Albanian said she only dropped her complaint after D.R.’s friends pressured her to do so.
The trial continues.