Man accused of rape tells court: 'I couldn't have done it, I'm impotent'

A Pakistani man has denied raping a Filipina acquaintance, saying he suffers from erectile dysfunction.

DUBAI // A Pakistani man has denied a rape accusation, saying he suffers from erectile dysfunction. ST, 22, was charged at the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance with sexually assaulting the Filipina, JM, an acquaintance. He also faces charges of photographing her during the assault and threatening to publish the images on the Facebook social networking site, which was cited for the first time by prosecutors for a role in a crime.

The victim's age and occupation were not provided. According to prosecutors, the defendant tricked the woman into meeting him in the Jumeirah area on November 4 by inviting her to a party. The defendant then allegedly took the woman to his office in the Naif district. After she walked into the office, he raped her twice in the reception area and once in the toilet, prosecutors say. She said she was photographed by the defendant during and after the alleged rape. She told police she met the defendant at midnight and was with him until 4.30am before she was taken to her home in Ajman.

She filed a complaint the next day after receiving threatening messages from the defendant. She told officers that he asked her to accept Dh5,000 (US$1,350) to remain silent. He later sent another message telling her he would publish the pictures on Facebook, showing them to mutual friends, prosecutors say. Officers instructed the woman to contact the defendant to set up a meeting. He allegedly threatened her again during their conversation and warned her not to miss the meeting at Deira's Al Mulla Plaza. Officers waited for him for two hours, but he never arrived. While returning to the police station with officers, she spotted him near Century Mall, where he was arrested.

The defendant denied the accusations against him at the police station, claiming that he was impotent and that he was suffering from a terminal condition. Forensic tests did not determine whether he was capable of having sex. The court adjourned the case to May 13. @Email:[e-mail]