DUBAI // A nurse stole from her elderly sponsor, a court was told.
The 26-year-old Sudanese woman, who denies the charge, said she started working as a nurse for the 81-year-old Emirati at his Bur Dubai home in June last year.
She told Dubai Criminal Court he gave her a laptop and a watch as gifts before he left the country in October.
“When my father left the country, we wanted her to move to my brother’s house until my father’s return but she refused. Later, she agreed on condition that all her bags remain in my father’s house,” said the sponsor’s son, 33.
He said shortly after the maid said she no longer wanted to work for the family and wished to return home. “At this point my sister searched her bags and found the items,” said the son, adding they also found Dh6,000 in cash and called police.
The father said he did not buy the nurse the laptop as a present, but bought it so she could use it.
“As for my ATM cards found with her, I asked my ex-wife to hand them to her,” said the father.
In court, the nurse’s lawyer said the woman was abused, beaten and humiliated by her sponsor’s family.
“They all hit her and locked her up and searched her body, not only her bags, before handing her to police,” the lawyer said.
The nurse denied a theft charge. The next hearing will be on April 6.
salamir@thenational.ae
