Arab woman behind bars for blackmailing

Ehab Atta, Mahmoud Mohsen, Staff Reporters

The Dubai Criminal Court on Tuesday sentenced an Arab woman, 22, to six months in jail to be followed by deportation on charges of blackmailing a Gulf media man. The defendant took photos of the victim who was in the buff and threatened to post the photos via social media if he did not pay Dhs2 million to her.

According to the official records, the victim stated that he got to know the defendant through social media in which she told him that she lived in the UAE alone but was on a visit to the GCC country that he belonged to. She then lured him into visiting her in her furnished apartment and sent him a video clip. The victim came to her apartment and had sex with the defendant before he left.

Four days later, the defendant sent him photos showing him naked in her room through social media and told him that she had other photos and a video clip showing them while having sex. She asked him to transfer Dhs2 million; otherwise, she would post the photos and video clip.

The victim said the defendant took advantage of his nature of work as a well-known media personality and put hidden cameras in her room.

In a separate event, the Sharjah Criminal Court adjourned to Feb 11 the case of an Arab charged with assaulting a 50-year old Asian, causing him a disability, after being wounded in the head.

The victim filed a report with the police against M.N, 19, accusing him of hitting him on the head. The victim said while he was walking on a street in Industrial Area 1, he saw a fight between the suspect and his friends with a taxi driver, so he attempted to stop the fight, but they beat him up.

He added the suspect hit him on the head with a leather belt, causing him permanent disability.

The court sentenced the suspect to 6 months in prison in absentia.

In court, the suspect said that on the day of the incident he was accompanied by his friends and a fight broke out between them and a taxi driver, at which time the victim was passing by. He affirmed that the taxi driver waived the report after reconciling with the other parties.

The suspect asked the court to postpone the case to present his defence and a medical report proving that he did not intentionally attend the previous session.