A taxi driver sexually assaulted a school pupil who he had been driving for three weeks and sent her inappropriate messages, Dubai Criminal Court was told.
Records show that the man had been driving the 16-year-old American pupil for three weeks before the incident took place on December 19 last year.
The girl told the court that she took the 40-year-old Pakistani driver's number after he dropped her off at school the first time.
"He picked me up once from my home in Dubai health care city and dropped me at my school in Sharjah so I took his number to call him whenever I needed a lift," she said.
She told prosecutors that on the day of the incident, she called the driver so he could take her to a friend's home in Sharjah. Afterwards she asked him to return three hours later.
"On the way back to my home after the party, he touched my left hand, but I pulled it away immediately. He then told me he loved me," said the pupil who told the court that she was in such a rush to leave the taxi when she got home that she left the car without paying the fare.
She said that after she got home the driver sent her several WhatsApp messages in which he told her he loved her.
"When I was in the taxi with him and he touched my hand, he managed to pull off my ring. After he sent me the love messages and I replied asking him to stop, he sent me a picture of my ring on his finger with a message saying that he wished to kiss me on the lips," the pupil said.
The girl told her classmates about the incident who advised her to go to police after contacting the driver and paying his fare — which she did accompanied by her friends. She then reported the incident at Al Rafaa Police station. Police arrested the driver the following day.
In court on Sunday, the driver denied a charge of sex assault and presented a notarised document proving that the pupil's father dropped charges against him.
"I didn't touch her hand, and I didn't tell her that I loved her, is sent it to her in a message," the driver told judges.
His verdict will be issued on February 20.
