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Dubai cabbie sexually harasses maid, makes her touch him

Dubai - The car was tinted and centrally locked.

A taxi driver who allegedly sexually harassed a housemaid during a trip, stood trial on Thursday in the Court of First Instance.
The 43-year-old Pakistani driver is accused of groping and touching the woman who was then sitting in the front seat, against her will.
He also allegedly made her touch him.
The maid, a 29-year-old Filipina, said she had just been in Dubai for two weeks when the incident took place on December 3, last year.
"A taxi picked me up from outside my sponsor's house in Umm Suqeim upon a previous order made by my employer," she said. "He was to drop me somewhere which was not far but I learned later it was behind a nearby mall." She claimed that two minutes into the trip, he began touching her face, groping her and touching her all over.
"He was driving with his left hand while touching me with the other hand. I was so shocked and scared."
His harassment continued even as he stopped at a traffic light where he made her touch him.
She described that the car was tinted and centrally locked.
In the few minutes before he dropped her at her destination, he quickly arranged his clothes.
The maid's sponsor, who is a 42-year-old Canadian working as an economic consultant, said he was with his family at a friend's house when he ordered a taxi online to bring his maid to where they were in Al Barsha. "I had to drive to pick her up from the taxi because the driver could not reach the location. But I was surprised to see her crying when she stepped off the taxi about 25 minutes later.
"After hearing from her about the driver's behaviour, the sponsor confronted him and told him he would report him to the taxi company. "But he just denied and sped off."
He lodged a complaint at Al Barsha police station where the maid identified the driver.
The driver admitted he touched the maid, during the investigation.
The hearing has been adjourned to February 23.
mary@khaleejtimes.com