The photo has been used for illustrative purposes.

Hamza M Sengendo, Staff Reporter

A photographer abused a female flatmate inside her room after visiting her on the pretext of discussing relocation matters. He must spend five years behind bars, a jury upheld.

The Arab defendant, 26, attacked the 51-year-old European nurse inside her bedroom at their shared flat in Al Barsha, prosecutors told the Criminal Court in May last year and demanded a tough punishment.

He denied having done anything wrong to her. “I did not even touch her,” he contended. The court sentenced him to five years in jail to be followed by deportation. The Appeals Court has upheld the penalty.

In prosecution records, the nurse narrated that she was inside her bedroom at around 4.30pm on Oct.19, 2017 when she heard someone knocking on the door. From behind the door, he identified himself as another person.

She opened for him. She was astonished to realise it was the defendant. He claimed he had come to discuss with her about a villa which he had decided to relocate to. She let him inside her bedroom for the discussion.

He explained to her that it was a good villa with a swimming pool. He requested her to relocate to the same villa and offered to collect from her rental fees less than the one she was spending on the apartment’s room.

All of a sudden, he locked the bedroom door. She stood up wondering. He told her to sit. She refused. He grabbed her, forced her to sit on the bed, started asking her inappropriate questions then carried out the offence.

Thereafter, he walked out of the bedroom. She was traumatised, disgusted and humiliated, she complained. She reported the matter to the police. Criminal pursuit officers apprehended the defendant three days later.

An Emirati lieutenant testified that the defendant during police questioning said he was living in the same apartment that he shared with the woman and others. On the date of the incident she summoned him for a consensual meeting.