Dubai court clears two men of raping 16-year-old at party

Two salesmen have been cleared of an earlier charge of attempting to rape a 16-year-old, but both were fined for alcohol consumption.

DUBAI // Two salesmen were yesterday cleared of attempting to rape a 16-year-old student at a party.

However, the Criminal Court found the two Iranians FS, 21, and MN, 18, guilty of illegally consuming alcohol, and MN guilty of assault.

The two called the girl SS, also Iranian, on June 4 this year and invited her to a party at an apartment in Jumeirah Towers.

She arrived in a taxi, and the two men took her to the flat. No other guests were present.

The girl said she drank only a cup of tea but noticed a number of empty alcohol bottles in the apartment and saw the two men inhaling glue.

She claimed that one of the men restrained her while the other pulled her trousers down but that she managed to escape their clutches and ran to the balcony, where she began screaming.

The building's security guard heard her and made his way to the flat. One of the men punched her a number of times before the security guard arrived and called police.

Both men were charged with assault, attempted rape and drinking alcohol.

Both were fined Dh2,000 each for drinking alcohol but MN alone was fined Dh5,000 for assault.