Drunk tourist forcibly kissed hotel receptionist on the lips, Dubai court told

The man s facing a sexual assault charge and another of consuming alcohol without a license and claimed in court he was driven by a different culture and kissed the Kenyan woman as a thank you.

DUBAI // A Briton accused of drunkenly forcing himself on a hotel receptionist by kissing her on the lips was simply showing his gratitude and not trying to molest her, his lawyer told the Dubai Criminal Court.

Advocate Saeed Al Ghilani said 35-year-old project manager A R, who is facing a sexual assault charge and another of consuming alcohol without a license, was driven by a different culture and kissed the Kenyan woman as a thank you and did not have any intentions of molesting her.

“This is a country of multiple nationalities who carry different cultures and what is accepted by a certain culture may not be accepted by another, but it does not mean that the intentions are necessary ill,” said the Emirati lawyer to judges.

He requested the court acquit A R and submitted an authenticated waiver from the woman, E A, 26, in which she dropped charges against A R.

E A told prosecutors at an earlier hearing that she was working at the front desk of the Atlantis The Palm hotel on November 27 last year when she was taken by surprise by A R who drunkenly kissed her on the lips.

“He held my face in his hands then kissed me on the lips and left,” said E A.

The receptionist added that a few minutes later A R, who was staying at the hotel, returned with a number of friends who asked him to apologise to her.

“He gave me Dh200 instead, which I refused to take then called for the hotel security who restrained him and called police who arrested him,” said E A.

Prosecutors said A R confessed to kissing E A but only did so because he was drunk.

A verdict is expected on January 31.