Realtor cleared of adult clip threat to ex-wife in Dubai

Hamza M Sengendo, Staff Reporter

A realty broker who allegedly threatened to use his ex-wife’s photos to montage an adult video he would publicise on the internet won a second acquittal on Wednesday.

The Asian defendant, 40, first appeared at the Dubai Criminal Court on June 9 on suspicion he verbally threatened to shame his compatriot ex-wife, 40, unless she relinquished her rights to demand financial support.

Before prosecutors she claimed, “He shouted telling me to go to the Family Court and drop a complaint I filed against him for declining to offer financial support otherwise he would make and post the video online.”

He also vowed to take away their children from her custody. The court cleared him citing uncorroborated evidence. Prosecutors appealed. He insisted she framed him. The Appeals Court upheld his acquittal.

In a similar earlier case, an Arab man, 34, was indicted for having publicised explicit photos of his compatriot ex-wife, 30, online following a bitter argument over divorce terms two weeks after their marriage.

The defendant first threatened to do so unless she dropped her legitimate rights at the Family Court. He then breached family principles and values when he publicised the photos on a social networking site.

“He violated her privacy even as she was still under his protection,” prosecutors told the Dubai Criminal Court.  The Criminal Court sentenced him to three years in jail plus deportation and a Dhs10, 000 fine.

It ordered his computer containing the photos be confiscated. He appealed seeking to challenge the ruling. However, the Dubai Appeals Court trashed his plea and upheld the punishment.

In prosecution records, the woman revealed the first two weeks of their marriage were followed by a heated argument when she refused to get him a car. “He had asked that I get him a car in my names by funding it.

“He wanted me to fund it using my account at the bank where I worked.” She refused and consequently filed for a fault-based divorce. He agreed but insisted she drop all her rights granted by the family court.

She refused. He threatened to defame her in front of her family, relatives and workplace. He emailed her manager and workmates claiming she had left the bank. And that she turned into a nightclub dancer.

“He also sent me my nude photo and pasted another on Facebook. He noted that I was 20 and searching for men.” Her father said, “I contacted him. He vowed to turn her life into hell and make her prefer death.”