DUBAI // A waitress wept in court yesterday as she came face to face with the man she says kidnapped and raped her.
The 23-year-old Filipina told the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance that she met the defendant, ER, at a party at a friend's house in Satwa in October last year. As she left with another friend, ER, a 31-year-old Emirati, offered to drive them home to Al Jaffiliya.
Her friend left her alone in the car with the defendant, who then drove to a parking area where he attacked her, the court heard.
The victim broke down and wept as she described her ordeal before the presiding judge, Fahmy Mounir Fahmy. She said she had tried to persuade her attacker to give her back her labour card, which he had taken earlier in the evening. She said the defendant told her to sit in the car and speak to him before he would return her card.
"When we left the party we were waiting for a taxi, and then he came and insisted on driving us home. He told us that we lived on his way and told us to get in to his car," she told the court. "He held me from my neck and ... raped me. He said he will kill my family in the Philippines and he will kill me if I reported the incident."
ER, who is on bail, is charged with kidnap, rape and threatening the woman.
Obaid Ali Obaid, for the defence, asked the woman under cross-examination to identify the defendant's car model. She said she could recall only that it was a two-door vehicle.
The victim's friend said that after the attack, the victim was bleeding and distraught.
The case was adjourned until July 11 for more witness evidence.
amustafa@thenational.ae
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
Profile of VoucherSkout
Date of launch: November 2016
Founder: David Tobias
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers
Sector: Technology
Size: 18 employees
Stage: Embarking on a Series A round to raise $5 million in the first quarter of 2019 with a 20 per cent stake
Investors: Seed round was self-funded with “millions of dollars”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Coming soon
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Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5