Man with AIDS cleared of rape charge

Accused says he is incapable of such crimes due to his poor health

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A man who tested positive for AIDS, Hepatitis C and syphilis has been cleared of raping a woman and threatening to kill her.

Dubai Criminal Court on Sunday acquitted an Emirati man, 40, of raping a Moroccan woman, 24, for lack of evidence.

The woman had claimed the man followed her from a nightclub in Al Baraha on May 13 last year after she refused a lift from him.

She said he forced his way into her home in Al Nahda and sexually assaulted her before she managed to lock herself into another room to call a friend for help.

Police arrested the man and sent the pair in for medical testing to check for evidence of rape. The results of the tests revealed the man had Aids, Hepatitis C and syphilis but did not show unequivocal evidence that he raped her.

At court in August, the accused denied the charges, saying he would be unable to carry out those crimes because of his poor health.

The man was cleared of both charges on Sunday.