Hairdresser jailed for raping his 'friend'

The accused tricked the woman into going to an empty flat with him before he assaulted her

A hairdresser who raped a woman after luring her to an empty flat in Dubai will spend six months in prison.

The Egyptian accused, 37, told Dubai Criminal Court he met the Filipina, 29, through a social networking app in March last year and they became friends.

On June 19, the pair met and, at 4am, the hairdresser suggested they go to a party.

Prosecutors said the man instead took her to an empty flat on Sheikh Zayed Road, where he sexually assaulted her.
"He claimed there was a party at a friend's house. When we arrived it turned out to be an empty flat," she said.
She said the accused dragged her into one of the rooms and raped her.

It is unclear how the woman escaped but she called police from the building’s reception.

Police arrested the man and, in court in September, he denied a charge of sexual assault, claiming they had consensual sex.
On Tuesday, the court convicted the man and sentenced him to six months in prison followed by deportation.