Ex-fiance abuses UAE woman lawyer after break-up, ordered to pay fine of Dh3,000

A UAE lawyer has won a court verdict against her ex-fiancé who abused and threatened her via phone calls and SMS after she broke up with him.

The Dubai Court of Appeal upheld the Court of First Instance’s imposition of Dh3,000 fine for abusing his former fiancée HM on phone.

“During my fiancé relationship with AH, my family and I were not pleased at some of the behaviour that he and his family showed. It was not acceptable for me and my family that they had violated Emirati customs, traditions and culture related to marriage,” said the lawyer.

The lawyer and her parents decided that the relationship should be ended and were encouraged that the matter was still at an early stage.

“I handed over to his sister the ring and other gifts he had given me, indicating break-up of the relationship,” said the victim. 

Three months after breaking up, the accused started annoying his ex-fiancée by his phone calls and SMS asking her to resume their relationship and get married.

“I did not answer his phone calls and SMS. I did not want to marry this man,” she said.

When the attempts of the accused did not succeed, he despaired and started sending her disgraceful SMS messages.

 “After receiving disgraceful and insulting messages for three months, I lost my patience and I replied to one of them informing him that I will complain against him if he does not stop,” said the lawyer.

The accused, however, did not stop but continued sending insulting SMS, pushing her to lodge a complaint at the Bur Dubai police station.

“I went to the police station and told them the whole story. I asked them to talk to him and ask him to stop annoying me because I did not want to harm him and did not intend to pursue legal action against him,” said the victim.

A police officer called him and talked to him and asked him to stop annoying his former fiancée.  While the victim was still in the police officer’s office, the angry man showered her with abusive and insulting SMSs. This surprised both the lawyer and the police officers.

 “The situation prompted me to ask the officer to summon the accused and to make him write an undertaking not to annoy me,” she said.

The officer called the man and asked him to come to the police station, but the later refused and asked for some time until his father returned to the UAE. However, this did not stop him from continuing to annoy her.

“One day, while I was in a public library, I received a call from a number that I did not know. I answered the call and was showered with harsh words by a screaming and yelling woman who did not introduce herself. I hung up and started thinking who the woman could be. I thought she could be a friend playing a prank but my astonishment did not last for long because I received a number of messages threatening me that the matter would be raised before ‘big people’. Then I realised that the caller was the sister of the accused,” the victim told investigators.

The victim called the police officer and informed him about the phone call and the messages and asked him to call the sister of the accused to stop her because she did not want to communicate directly with her.  The lawyer’s ex-fiancé however continued sending her insulting and abusive messages until his father returned to the UAE and the two went to the police station.

When they reached there, they were surprised to learn that an official complaint had been lodged by the ex-fiancée and he was arrested on the spot for investigation.

“Only at this stage did his family realise the unlawful situation of their son, so they started sending me messages asking for forgiveness and to settle the matter amicably,” she said.

However, four days later, the accused sent to her a lawyer who asked her to settle the matter amicably.  “I refused, telling him that I had given him many chances to stop annoying me but as he did not listen, justice should prevail. 

“When I refused to drop the complaint, it was shocking to me to hear a man of law threatening to defame at my place of work while pretending to advise me. He said the accused would malign me amongst my colleagues, adding that this would cause a scandal if I do not drop the complaint.

“This made me take a firm decision not to drop my police complaint and that justice should be done on my ex- fiancé. I was very patient with him and did not take any action against his unlawful behaviour,  although I had strong evidence against him. Besides that, what is wrong in breaking up a fiancé relationship? It is my right to agree to or refuse a prospective groom. Unfortunately, we are are not civilised enough to breakup peacefully without hatred,” said the lawyer.

 The lawyer supplied the police with all the messages she had received from the accused and the case was referred to the court which ordered him to pay a fine of Dh3,000.

Both the accused and the prosecution appealed the verdict before the Court of Appeal.

The Court of Appeal upheld the verdict of the lower court.

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