Man who raped tourist in Hatta jailed for life

A criminal court in Dubai sentenced a Gulf man to life in prison after he was convicted of raping a 24-year-old Japanese tourist during her visit to the remote village of Hatta.

The man, a government employee in the emirate, snatched the woman while she was on her way to Hatta heritage village, took her to a mountainous area and beat her up before raping her.

Newspapers said the woman had lost her way to the village after reaching Hatta by bus in March last year.

She then was told to talk for nearly 10 minutes to reach the village. On her way, the defendant stopped his car and offered her a lift.

“He took advantage of the fact that the woman did not know the area…he took her to a mountainous area and tried to rape her,” said Sami Al Shamsi, public prosecutor in Bur Dubai.

“When she resisted, he beat her up, ripped her clothes and pushed her on the ground…he then raped her before taking her back to the bus station in Hatta…she later went to Dubai and reported him.”

Quoted by the semi official daily Alittihad, he said DNA tests confirmed the unnamed defendant committed the crime, adding that the victim was brought back from Japan to testify in court before he was sentenced to life in prison.
 

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