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29 March 2024

Karate-grip helped woman sailor escape molester

Published
By Eman Al Baik

A 21-year-old Pakistani driver allegedly attempted to rape an American woman sailor who had accepted a lift in his bus, the Dubai Criminal Court heard.

KSA is also accused of threatening the victim with a kitchen knife to force her to submit to his sexual desire and of consuming alcohol.

28-year-old MJ testified that she arrived in UAE on a ship that anchored at Port Khalid in Sharjah on January 19 with an entry permission for 24 hours.

“At around 1pm on January 22, I left the ship and took a taxi to Mall of the Emirates in Dubai where I stayed until 5pm. Then I went to a hotel to have dinner but as it was closed I decided to go back to the ship. I went by metro from Bur Dubai to Deira and got off at the station near the Dubai Police headquarters.

“It was around 7.50pm when I entered a supermarket and bought a bed sheet. The supermarket staff helped me to get a taxi. However, a bus with ‘passenger transport’ written on it stopped and asked me if I wanted a lift. At the same time, the supermarket staff stopped a taxi and asked me if I want the taxi.

“The bus driver was looking strangely at me. I entered the bus, sat on a rear passenger seat an asked him to drop me at Port Khalid in Sharjah. I noticed that he did not take the main Dubai-Sharjah road. When I asked him about that, he answered ‘Not to worry, I just want to ask someone about the direction.’

“After about five to 10 minutes, he stopped in a sandy area and got off the bus and opened the rear door. I got scared and took my bag and tried to get out; he blocked the exit with his body and quickly closed the door.

“He sat next to me and held me forcibly with his hands. I pushed him away while he was attempting to kiss my lips. He groped my body and tried to undress me.  While I was resisting him, he pulled out a knife and threatened to kill me if I did not submit to his desire. He pulled my hand and put it on his private part, asking me to grope him. I submitted to his threat as he was holding the knife in the other hand.

 “I held the sharp edge of the knife and broke it. He threw away the handle and squeezed my neck with both hands and also bit my hand twice while I was resisting him. Because of the pain, I fell down and got stuck between the seats. He sat on me and I squeezed  his neck with my legs. He bit my leg while groping my private parts.

“Suddenly, he got up and opened the door of the bus, allowing me to leave. He rushed after me and offered to drop me. I did not turn back to him and ran towards a tailoring shop and asked a worker there for help. The worker stopped a taxi and I asked the driver to call the police. I also told my senior on phone about what had happened and he asked me to return to the ship as my entry permission would expire soon. I returned to the ship and then went out and lodged a complaint with the police,” the victim testified.

After a couple of hours, police identified the accused based on the descriptions she gave. “Showing his picture to her, she immediately identified him. The accused was arrested at his accommodation in Hor Al Anz. He was sleeping and drunk. He admitted to the accusation and lead the police to the bus which he had stopped near a petrol pump in Al Manama. We confiscated the broken knife and its handle and a belt of the victim,” testified Sergeant Isa Abdul Rahman.

Forensic reported that sperms of the accused were found on the victim’s dress and underwear. Traces of her blood and hair were found on the knife and in the bus. The victim also sustained three human bites on her hand and leg. His sperms were also found on his trousers, shirt and underwear.

The prosecution asked the court to impose a stiff penalty on the accused. The court will reconvene on May 1.

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