Salesman denies molesting a flight attendant in her home

The man claimed the alleged attack happened by mistake as the woman's kitchen was very small

A 24-year-old salesman who is accused of forcing himself on a woman and grabbing her by the waist has denied the charges, claiming that the incident was a mistake caused by a lack of space in the woman's kitchen. 

Prosecutors said that on December 17 last year, the Pakistani salesman distributed water to homes in Al Quoz. He was contacted by a 32-year-old air hostess from Costa Rica and asked to provide her with water.

"My husband was away on a business trip so I called him. He arrived at around 10am and found the empty bottles outside, then he knocked on the door to deliver the new ones," she said.

The woman said she asked him to install one of the new bottles in the cooler and, afterwards, he grabbed her by the waist before hugging her and attempting to touch her inappropriately.

"I pushed him away and screamed at him, then asked him to leave at once," she said, adding that he then left; however, she said he returned about five minutes later with another man, but she refused to open the door and called the police.

A police officer said the man was apprehended and questioned.

"He told us he had been doing this job for two years and had never had a complaint against him by anyone. He said this happened by mistake because the woman's kitchen was very small," said a police officer.

The woman told prosecutors that she was about three meters away from the defendant and there was no way for him to accidentally touch her, as he claimed.

"My kitchen is not that small and I was standing about three meters away from him. He didn't touch me accidentally – he grabbed me towards him, then touched me," she said.

In court on Tuesday morning, the defendant denied a charge of sexual assault charge and a verdict is due on February 15.