Woman narrates kidnap and rape nightmare

The Dubai Criminal Court heard the testimony of a woman who was allegedly kidnapped and raped by an Omani man.

ZH, 39, Lebanese, told the court that she knew the accused ARA, 26, Omani, visitor, only through their contact over the phone and on the first meeting he kidnapped her to the desert in Umm Al Quwain where he raped her.

She told the jury presided by Judge Hamad Abdullatif Abdul Jawad that she came to Dubai on a visit visa to search for a job. About three days later she received a wrong call from the accused who resumed calling her and the relation developed into a friendship over the phone.

“One day he asked me what I was doing. I told him that I was planning to go out with friends to a bar. He invited me to go with him to a coffee shop and enjoy shisha. I agreed provided that I will follow him in my car. When he arrived at my hotel, he offered to drop me at my car that was parked close to the hotel. When we reached my car I asked him to stop but he did not. When I argued with him, he hit me on the head and I fell unconscious. When I regained consciousness I was in the desert and he was molesting me,” ZH stated.

When Judge Abdul Jawad asked her to say what he did exactly, she looked around and refrained from speaking. The judge then asked everyone to leave and resumed hearing the victim’s testimony in a closed session.

Earlier, the court heard the testimony of Mahmoud Ahmad, policeman Umm Al Quwain Police, who recorded her testimony after the incident.

Ahmad told the court that the victim was dropped at Al Salama police station in Umm Al Quwain by an Emirati who found her beside the road.

When asked by Judge Abdul Jawad about her condition, he said that she was crying hysterically and saying she was kidnapped from Dubai and raped by an Omani.

Ahmad told the court similar story regarding why and from where the victim rode in the car of the accused.
ZH was referred to Bur Dubai police station to lodge her complaint, said Ahmad who did not know whether she was subjected to a forensic check by Umm Al Quwain Police.

The accused was identified in a video recording of the hotel. He was arrested and ZH identified him at an identification parade.

According to the prosecution sheet, ARA testified that he met the victim in the Heritage Village in Dubai and she gave him her mobile number.

The accused denied kidnapping and raping ZH, but confessed to picking her up from the hotel where she was staying in Dubai and taking her to Palm Beach Hotel in Umm Al Quwain on her request as she wanted to attend a party there.

ARA also confessed before the prosecution that he touched her legs but did nothing more than that.