Watchmen immured for harassing watchwoman

Hamza M Sengendo, Staff Reporter

A watchman who groped and tried to abuse a watchwoman has lost the case with his colleague who vowed to abuse her for having sought police help.

The Asian defendant, 28, was with the Pakistani woman at their shared villa in Rashidiyah at around 3pm on Mar.24 when he touched her inappropriately. She resisted his advances. He punched her in the face.  She and her compatriot friend – a mechanic – reported the matter to the police. The defendant’s colleague, 25, insulted both of them, threatened to kill them and yelled obscenities involving their family members.

Both victims complained to the police about him. Police returned to pick him up. He engaged them in a scuffle, pushed one cop against a wall and pelted them with obscenities. He and the defendant were drunk.

The Dubai Criminal Court imprisoned them for six months plus deportation over breach of modesty and assault charges. It referred alcohol abuse, insults and threats charges to the Misdemeanours Court.

They appealed. The watchman contended he touched her chest by mistake. However, the Dubai Appeals Court’s jury found them guilty and upheld the lower court’s decision.

The woman was in the house’s yard when the defendant felt her shoulder and pestered her to enter the washroom. She resisted and pushed him. He seized her arm and chest while telling her to enter the washroom. He was inebriated. He insisted he wanted to be with her. She resisted and he threw a punch below her left eye. She sustained assault injuries. She screamed for help. The mechanic heard and came to her rescue.

Policemen came and took him away. Shortly, his colleague insulted and threatened to kill her and the mechanic. He vowed to attack her and her female relatives. He uttered the same against the mechanic.  She contacted police fearing he would implement his vow. He resisted arrest. During the standoff he shoved a cop against a wall. He called cops names and uttered that he would attack their female relatives.

A Bahraini corporal and a Sudanese policeman said they returned to detain the colleague. He resisted to be handcuffed, pushed them and pelted them with insults, some of which targeted their mothers and sisters.

“The woman told me the defendant wanted to strip her but the mechanic seized him. The defendant confessed. The mechanic said both men habitually abused alcohol and caused problems,” said the corporal.

The mechanic testified, “The defendant picked a piece of metal to hit me. His colleague insulted my mother and threatened to kill me. He uttered foul words against policemen.”