DUBAI // A US navy officer was groped by a salesman at a woman’s clothes shop, a court has heard.
The 21-year-old told prosecutors that the Indian man touched her breast as she was trying on a scarf.
On January 7, the American, M K, and a group of sailors disembarked from their ship to tour around several areas of Dubai.
They went into the shop and she said S K invited her to the accessories section of the shop.
The American said: “He showed me a necklace and told me to try it. I refused and told him that it was not my style.”
She said that the 47-year-old salesman still put the necklace on her neck, even though she did not want to try it and that she said 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,” the navy officer said.
Court records said that the salesman put the scarf on her body himself.
“He didn’t give me a chance and put the scarf on me, and he put it on me, during which he felt my breast,” the woman said.
She told prosecutors that she at first thought that he touched her by mistake but then he continued feeling her breast.
“He grabbed my breast in a hard way, I took a step back and told him to take the scarf and I hurried back to the group, because I was afraid,” M K said.
The navy soldier said she initially did not report the incident or tell anyone about it because she was ashamed and feared no one would believe her.
Her companions bought several items from the store and left.
“I felt so stupid and ashamed of myself for not reporting the incident. I stayed secluded for three days before I decided to tell my colleague, S, about it, who advised me to report it,” said M K.
Only then did she report the incident to her supervisor, who then told Dubai Police.
The ship left port but returned to Dubai on February 23, when she was summoned to Bur Dubai police station to give a statement.
At Dubai Criminal Court, the defendant denied a charge of sexual assault and told the presiding judge that they should watch CCTV footage from inside the shop to know what really happened.
A verdict is expected on May 19.
tzriqat@thenational.ae