Drunk man tries to rape woman behind truck in Dubai

A man is on trial in Dubai for allegedly attempting to rape a woman behind a truck.
The man, who was drunk, allegedly dragged a woman from the bus stop and took her behind a truck where he tried to rape her under duress, a court heard on Thursday.
According to public prosecution documents, the 24-year-old Pakistani man was sitting next to the victim, a Filipina, at the bus stop when he suddenly grabbed her and dragged her behind a heavy truck parked by the side of the road, where he tried to rape her.
Four men arrived at the scene and took him away from her.
The man, a construction worker, denied the charges of rape and consumption of alcohol without a license when he appeared before the Court of First Instance. He claimed he did not recall what had happened as he was not sober.
The incident happened at around 10:30 pm on July 12 in Al Quoz.
"I was waiting at the bus stop while the accused was sitting next to me. When I spotted him staring at me awkwardly I moved a bit away from him but he moved closer. He did it more than once," the victim, a 33-year-old accountant, said.
"He came closer again when I stood up. I told him to stay away or I would call the police but he did not pay heed. I got scared and picked up a stick with which I hit him on his hand twice but he snatched it and threw it away," she added.
The Filipina said she could not escape as he had grabbed her by the hands from behind and lifted her up.
"He took me as I screamed behind a heavy vehicle near the bus stop. I bit his hand when he tried to cover my mouth. He then threw me down and I fell on my knee. He tried to remove my shirt but I would not let him and kept screaming. A man came and took him away from me. Three others also came and held the accused but he broke loose and was then restrained until the police arrived," the victim recounted.
A 42-year-old Indian working as a supervisor, who witnessed the incident, said : "I was driving by the bus stop when I spotted the accused grabbing the woman. As I drove closer, I saw them fighting while the man grabbed her. I pulled over but did not find them at the stop then. I heard the woman screaming and saw her behind a truck. She was on her knees crying and trying to keep the man from taking her shirt off".
"I pulled him away from her and then four men arrived and grabbed the accused. He tried to run away as we called the police, but we caught him".
A medical report showed the victim was left with knee and foot bruises after the attack.
mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai

Marie Nammour

mary@khaleejtimes.com