DUBAI // A customs inspector who kidnapped a female friend who was forced to throw herself out of his speeding car to escape was yesterday sentenced in his absence to three years in jail.
Emirati K A, 28, was convicted at Dubai Criminal Court of kidnapping Serbian S B, also 28, and endangering her life by refusing to stop the car.
The Serbian, who works for a computer services company, said she was invited to dinner by the Emirati on August 23 last year.
“He asked me to park my car in Jumeirah, near a shopping mall, and then he would come to pick me up,” she said.
The pair then went to a hotel in Festival City, where they had dinner and drank alcohol.
“At about 11pm I asked him to drive me back to my car but, instead, he drove towards Sharjah,” S B said.
“I asked him to take the first exit to Dubai but he sped up and only took the exit when I opened the car’s door.”
She said K A pulled her hair, slapped her face and kicked her legs before she managed to open the car’s door again. She was about to jump out when he pulled her back in by the hair.
After a struggle, she managed to jump out of the moving car and find a police patrol near by.
Jumping from the car caused her bruising all over her body and the loss of sight in one eye.
A forensic report, however, said the sight loss may not have been caused by the incident.
The Emirati was not present in court on his first hearing last June to enter a plea and has still not been found by police.
Part of the sentence involved him paying a temporary compensation of Dh21,000 to the woman, although she can try for a higher amount through the civil courts.
salamir@thenational.ae
