Salesman cleared of groping US navy officer visiting Dubai

Woman claimed the Indian salesman touched her breast as he put a scarf on her in women's clothes shop.

DUBAI // A salesman has been found not guilty of groping a US navy officer at a woman’s clothing shop.

S K, a 47-year-old Indian, was acquitted by Dubai Criminal Court in May but prosecutors appealed against the verdict. The Court of Appeal upheld his acquittal.

On January 7, American M K and a group of sailors left their ship to tour Dubai.

They went into the shop and the 21-year-old said S K invited her to the accessories section of the shop.

“He showed me a necklace and told me to try it,” she said. “I refused and told him that it was not my style.”

She claimed he still put the necklace on her, even though she did not want to try it and she could not afford it.

“He took off the necklace from my neck and told me that he wanted to show me a scarf in the clothes department,” she said.

He put the scarf on her body without giving her a chance to do it herself, during which time she said he felt her breast.

She told prosecutors that she first thought he touched her by mistake but then she said he continued to feel her breast.

“He grabbed my breast in a hard way,” M K said.

“I took a step back and told him to take the scarf and I hurried back to the group, because I was afraid.”

She said she initially did not report the incident or tell anyone about it because she was ashamed and feared no one would believe her.

“I felt so stupid and ashamed of myself for not reporting the incident,” M K said. “I stayed secluded for three days before I decided to tell my colleague, S, about it, who advised me to report it.”

Only then did she report the incident to her supervisor, who told Dubai Police.

The ship left port but returned to Dubai on February 23, when she went to Bur Dubai police station to give a statement.

The defendant denied a sexual-assault charge in both courts. He told the presiding judge they should watch CCTV footage from inside the shop to know what really happened.