Officer denies threat to defame woman who refused his calls

A police officer threatened to accuse an Emirati woman of being a prostitute if she did not return his phone calls, according to prosecutors.

DUBAI // A police officer this morning denied an Emirati woman's claims that he threatened to accuse her of being a prostitute and to have her kidnapped if she did not return his phone calls.

"I didn't do that, your honour," said RA, 34, of Oman, when he appeared before the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance. He awaits a verdict on April 28.

Prosecutors charged him with sending about 27 text messages to a woman identified in records as MR, 36, and of threatening her in one of the messages.

Prosecutors said the defendant saw the victim at a shopping centre, liked her, and managed to get her mobile number. Then, he tried to call her, prosecutors said.

MR said in her testimony that RA called her on September 23 last year, told her that he liked her and that he wanted to get to know her better. She said she turned him down and hung up the phone, after which he tried to call her several times, prosecutors said.

When MR did not answer his calls, he started sending her text messages, prosecutors said. However, she did not answer him and told her brother about the calls and messages. Her brother called RA and asked him to stop bothering her.

Following the call from MR's brother, the defendant sent another text message, threatening MR.

"You can't imagine what i can do to you, i will scandalize you in Ras Al Khaimah and say that you are a prostitute," a portion of the message said.

The message also said that RA would send men to kidnap her and bring her to him, according to prosecutors.

During investigations, prosecutors also said the defendant confessed to the charge.