Neighbours apprehended man who stalked woman home, Dubai court hears

DUBAI // A driver chased a woman to her villa late at night and banged on her door in an attempt to rape her, Dubai Criminal Court heard on Wednesday morning.

Prosecutors told the court that Pakistani Y K, 26, chased his 32-year-old victim, D P, from the Philippines, at about 2am on February 9 as she was walking home from her shift at work.

“I stepped out of a taxi and started walking home when I felt footsteps behind me, so I walked faster,” said the receptionist.

She added that the defendant tried to grab her by the leg but failed, after which she ran home to Al Satwa. She then tried to shut the door but, she said, the driver pushed it using his body weight.

“But I managed to close the door and lock it with the key and started shouting at him, then I heard he walked away,” said D P, who called police.

When they arrived, officers found that the defendant had been apprehended by a number of Filipino men who responded to the victim’s screams.

“We found him sitting on the floor surrounded by a number of men, who said that he tried to rape the victim after following her home but, when she screamed, they heard her and came then saw him at the door, at which point he tried to run away but they caught him,” said policeman A M, 31.

He added that the defendant confessed to him and said that what he did was wrong and that he asked for forgiveness.

However, in court Y K denied a sexual assault charge.

He awaits a verdict on December 30.