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Man pleads not guilty to charges of rape

DUBAI — An Arab man has pleaded not guilty to the charge of raping a European woman. His lawyer told the Criminal Court of First Instance that he had consensual sex with the complainant.

S.S. has been accused of doping a European woman by slipping a mind-altering substance into her drink and then raping her. Another person, whose identity was not known, too, has been charged with the same offence on January 20 this year.

Defence lawyer Ahmed Zayoudi sought the acquittal of his client based on the argument that he had consensual sex with the woman.

According to the woman's statement, she received a phone call from S.S. who invited her to a party at Fairmont Hotel. ‘Once I was there I saw a group of people whom I did not know. I only knew my host. I had a drink and then lost consciousness. When I woke up I found myself being raped by an unknown man in the staircase. When I resisted him he beat me up and I passed out once again.’

The woman further alleged that when she regained consciousness she found herself naked and being raped by the defendant in his room at the hotel. She fainted once again. When she woke up she was still in the defendant's room, dressed up and that was when she called the police.’

The next hearing has been set for June 8.