British woman in Dubai court on sex in back of taxi charge

A British woman, RB, and her Irish friend, CM, deny having sex on the back seat of a taxi, as a police officer tells a Dubai court he caught the man with his trousers down.

DUBAI // A drunk Irishman accused of having sex with a British woman in the back of a taxi was caught with his trousers down, a police officer told a court today.

The officer, a 22-year-old, told the Misdemeanour Court that when he approached the taxi he saw RB, a 29-year-old recruitment executive, without any underwear on gyrating on top of CM, 27.

"The man's trousers were down to his knees," said the officer, who added that when they looked up and saw him they quickly began to get dressed. "The woman started crying and saying she wanted to go home," he told the court.

Despite the officer's testimony the man and woman denied having sex during the incident, which happened last May, though they admitted consuming large quantities of alcohol at a hotel beforehand.

"We are not guilty, but we confess that we drank alcohol," the two told courtroom number 9 through a translator yesterday in their first court appearance. They are both facing charges of having consensual sex and consuming alcohol.

"I had five glasses of white wine and four glasses of vodka," RB admitted during her police interrogation, while CM put his consumption at "six to seven" glasses of vodka. RB said she met CM at a hotel on May 4 and they began chatting. The two then left the hotel and hailed a cab together.

They were picked up by the Pakistani taxi driver QP, 29, at about 11pm, and asked him to drive to Al Barsha. However, the driver said that when they arrived they became vague about the directions. "I told them to be specific," said the taxi driver, adding that they then asked him to drive to the Marina area.

"On the way I saw the man taking out an alcohol bottle and he drank from it. I told him it was not allowed but he continued drinking, then threw the empty bottle from the window."

The driver said that as he reached Tecom bridge leading to Dubai internet City he noticed the woman was sitting on the man's lap. "I could see through the mirror that she had nothing on to cover her back," he said, adding that he then noticed a police patrol near the American University. He honked at the officer who then came over to investigate.

"As I parked and stepped out of the vehicle, I saw her topless," said the driver. "I didn't see them having sex but she was topless and the way she sat on top of him looked more like a sexual position, and she was moaning for about two minutes."

He said he saw them kissing and that RB then tried to bribe him. "When we were all taken to the police station, the woman offered to give me a large amount of money if I didn't say they were having sex and said they were only drinking alcohol and kissing," he testified.

Both RB and CM denied the driver's account, and insisted they had not had sex. "I did not take off my shorts or underwear," said RB, while CM claimed he had only hugged RB.

However, the two differed in their accounts. RB said that she was sitting behind the driver and overbalanced while reaching for some food. She said CM held her to help her regain her balance as she was "totally drunk".

"I did not have sex with [CM] in the taxi, and I don't know why the driver is claiming that it happened," she told prosecutors.

However, In RB's version of the story, he was the one who sat behind the driver.

A forensics report found no DNA evidence to prove intercourse had occurred. Some scratches were found on RB's hands which she claimed were caused by her cat.

The next hearing was scheduled for November 1.