Dubai tourist jailed for touching female police officer

DUBAI // A tourist who touched a female police officer on the arm to ask for directions to the Dubai Mall has been found guilty of sexual assault and jailed for three months.

Prosecutors charged K B, 49, from Kazakhstan, with molesting the officer and assaulting two policemen at the Burj Khalifa Metro station in December last year.

K B denied the charges in court and said he only tapped the officer to ask for directions. He denied assaulting two police officers who tried to restrain him.

Police officer N A told prosecutors that she was controlling crowds at the station when K B touched her. “It was 4.40pm and the metro station was filled with people and I was trying to direct the crowds to ease the congestion.

“I was helping someone when K B touched me and asked for directions to Dubai Mall. I answered him and asked him why he touched me. He then touched my hand again,” the 21-year-old said.

According to records, the officer showed her ID to K B and asked him to accompany her to the police office.

Two police officers came to the scene and asked K B to accompany them but he refused.

“He refused to accompany the officers and he assaulted them,” N A said.

“I heard N A telling the defendant not to touch her,” police officer A M, 22, told prosecutors.

“And when we requested that he accompany us to the office, he resisted and pushed me before we were able to apprehend him.”

At Dubai Criminal Court on Sunday, K B was sentenced to three months in jail and fined Dh2,000. He will be deported after completing the sentence.