A man strangled a masseuse after she refused to sleep with him, Dubai Criminal Court heard.
The Pakistani man, 30, received a massage from the Bangladeshi woman at a massage centre in Al Karama in November last year.
"She was very beautiful and I fell in love with her. She massaged me and had sex with me but I wanted more. I wanted to marry her," the accused told the court.
He offered to pay her Dh5,000 to marry him, which he said she accepted. He said that a week later, the woman asked him for an additional Dh2,000.
"She said she needed to pay for her sick mother's treatment back home. I gave her the money and told her I didn't have any more to give so she blocked my mobile number," he said.
A month later, the man tracked her down to another massage centre in Al Rafaa, where he paid Dh160 to get a room with her. He asked the woman to have sex with him but she refused.
“We argued and she scratched me in the face. Then I became angry and strangled her before I suffocated her with a towel for nearly 10 minutes,” he told prosecutors.
He fled the centre, going to his workplace – which was not disclosed in court records – where he applied for holiday so he could leave the country.
The massage centre's receptionist found the woman's body and called police. He identified the accused through CCTV footage.
"He paid me the money and the two went into a room for massage but I didn't see him leave, 90 minutes later I knocked on the door's room then opened when no one responded and found her dead on the floor," said the Chinese receptionist, 28.
The man was arrested while trying to flee the country.
In court, the man was charged with murder and theft. He admitted to killing the woman, saying he intended to end her life, but denied stealing from her.
The next hearing is scheduled for March 31 to appoint the accused a lawyer.