Man beats and rapes woman in Dubai flat, court told

The man allegedly lured the woman to his flat by promising to help with her expired visa

A man lured a woman to his flat then assaulted and raped her, Dubai Criminal Court was told.

On March 12, the Emirati defendant, 23, called and arranged to the meet the woman under the pretence of wanting to discuss solutions for her expired residency visa.

“I was with a friend when he called. He said I should meet him at his friend’s flat so I went there around 6am accompanied by my friend,” said the Moroccan woman, 29.

She told prosecutors that the man met them at the entrance to the building in the Al Warqa area, near Mirdif, and told her friend to park the car.

She said he did not wait for her male friend to return and instead took her up to the flat.

When she stepped into the flat, the man snatched her mobile phone from her and turned it off then forced her to drink alcohol before he began slapping and punching her. She said the man pulled her into the bedroom and raped her.

The woman said she begged and cried but the defendant refused to stop and then locked her inside the apartment for nearly 12 hours. During that time his friend also tried to have sex with her, she said.

At around 6pm, the man agreed to take her to her flat but she unlocked the door en route and ran away.

“I took a taxi home, called for an ambulance then headed to the police station to report the incident,” she said.

The whereabouts of her friend were not disclosed in court records.

Police arrested the defendant 10 days later and, during questioning, he denied a rape charge, saying they had consensual sex.

“He told us they were in a relationship for more than a year during which they repeatedly had sex with her consent,” said an Emirati policeman.

The defendant did not attend court on Tuesday to enter a plea.

A verdict will be issued on June 26.