ABU DHABI // Three rapists with a kidnapped prostitute on the backseat of their car panicked during a routine police stop when she opened the back door and called for help, a court heard today.
They drove off, trying to escape, but smashed into a nearby roundabout and were arrested, prosecutors told the Criminal Court.
One of the men had tricked the woman into getting into the car by promising her Dh500 in return for spending the night with him in one of the capital's hotels. But when she got in HS, KR, and AA, all from Oman, drove her off to a deserted area and took turns to rape her.
In court, HS and KR denied kidnapping the woman.
"We took her in front of people from the hotel, she could have screamed for help if she were forced," said one of the men.
When Chief Justice Sayed Abdul Baseer, head of the court, pressed them, saying they were accused not of forcing her into the car, but of tricking her into it, they said they picked her up after agreeing that she would "party" with them in return for payment, but not have sex.
The judge then asked KR why, when police were interrogating him, he had confessed to raping the woman. He replied that he was scared and nervous and did not mean the confession.
He then asked HS why forensic tests found traces of his semen on the prostitute.
"So it came from the air? Your words don't make sense, this is a report from the forensics lab, so you know what a lab means?" the judge yelled.
"Your blood sample matched the anal sample taken from the prostitute...you are free (to say as you wish)," added the judge.
"I was drunk," replied HS.
His lawyer asked for an adjournment to present his defence, while KR told the court he had no money or family in the UAE to appoint a lawyer.
"I ask for bail until acquittal," he said.
The Chief Justice laughed at the request. "You are precious dear, and your request is cheap," he joked.
JS, from Uzbekistan, was charged with prostitution, while MM, also Uzbek, was charged with facilitating prostitution. MM denied her charge, while JS did not enter a plea as she required a translator who was not available.
The case was adjourned until January 28.
hdajani@thenational.ae
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- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
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