Policeman describes attack during brothel raid

A policeman and two other men were attacked by machete and sword-wielding assailants during a raid in a brothel, a Dubai court has heard.

DUBAI // A policeman and two other men were attacked by machete and sword-wielding men during a raid in a brothel, a court heard yesterday.

The policeman, RM, who suffered nine slash and stab wounds to his body, including his neck, told the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance that on November 22, last year he was part of a raid on the brothel in International City's England cluster. He went into the flat and with other officers arrested four Chinese women and three Pakistani men.

While the policemen took them through the corridor to the lift, armed men came out from another flat and attacked them. One of the Pakistani detainees lost a finger and RM suffered a deep neck wound, prosecutors said.

RM said that as the men attacked him he attempted to run away, but was attacked again. "When we left the flat they came from the opposite flat and surrounded us," he said.

"They stabbed me and attacked the other men but though I managed to run towards the stairs, two men jumped at me and slashed me with swords," he said.

"I managed to escape and inform the rest of the raid team downstairs before passing out and being taken to hospital."

The men were charged with attempting to kill R M, and the two Pakistani detainees, SF, 28, and RA, 27. They were also charged with using the flat as a brothel. Only one of the defendants, VW, 37, from China, appeared in court yesterday. He denied the charges.

Three Vietnamese men, DL, 24, NX, 21, and LT, 22, and another Chinese man, WX, 45, did not appear in court or enter a plea.

Prosecution records say VW was in charge of the brothel operation and handling the finances while WX managed security.

SF and RA told prosecutors that on the night of the attack, they went to the building in the England cluster to visit a friend but were kidnapped by the Chinese men. "I went with RA to my friend's house but two Chinese men came out with swords and took us in to the apartment where we saw four women," said SF.

"We were shocked, but five minutes later, someone knocked on the door, then we saw policemen breaking in.

"We were attacked by the men who chopped off my little finger ... after they escaped I collapsed on the ground in a pool of my own blood."

A sergeant from the vice-squad told prosecutors that after the attack on his colleague, officers headed into the building to arrest the assailants.

"We found the door barricaded from the inside, and we had to force ourselves into the flat," the vice officer said. "When we broke into the flat, we saw four men standing with swords, and one of them also had a taser gun."

The men attacked the officers, who defended themselves with nightsticks.

The case was adjourned to December 16 for the absent defendants to be present.