DUBAI A young woman was found running naked on Dubai's Emirates Road after fleeing from a colleague who attempted to rape her in the desert.

The 25-year-old Spanish sales coordinator, R.K., told the Court of First Instance on Wednesday that the incident occurred after she and her 37-year-old Emirati colleague dined at a Jebel Ali hotel.

The man offered to drop the woman home, but instead drove her to a secluded place and attempted to rape her, court records show.

"He snatched my phone, came to the passenger's side and tried to rape me. When I resisted, he hit me and ripped off my clothing down to my undergarments."

The woman said she somehow managed to escape and ran totally naked until she reached the main road.

"A Pakistani trucker saw me and pulled off on the roadside. He gave me some clothes and lent me his phone to call my friend and the police," said R.K.

'No idea where she was'

Her friend, a Russian sales coordinator, testified she got five missed calls from an unknown number around 2:20am. "When I saw the calls, I panicked and called back to hear my hysterical friend crying. She told me she had no idea where she was."

R.K. left her BlackBerry and a bag which contained her wallet, credit cards, Dh1,000 in cash in the suspect's car. The Pakistani trucker said he spotted the woman on the side of the road on his way from Abu Dhabi to Al Aweer in Dubai.

"I saw someone waving frantically. As I slowed down, I realised it was a woman.

"She was naked and bleeding from the left side of her head," said the trucker.

Rape charge denied

The accused denied the charges, though a Filipino waiter confirmed the Emirati and the Spanish woman dined at his restaurant on the night of the crime.

A medical report showed the woman sustained minor injuries. She also fractured a finger. A forensic report confirmed that samples of the woman's hair were found in the car of the accused, while CCTV footage showed that a woman was indeed with the Emirati in his car.

The woman's lawyer is demanding Dh20,000 in damages. The next hearing is on May 23.