A professional Emirati footballer, who has played for several clubs and the national team, has appeared in court and denied the accusation of raping a woman following a dinner invite at a luxurious hotel on the Palm Jumeirah.
According to Gulf News, the accused man walked into the Dubai Court of First Instance on Monday using crutches for an apparent leg injury.
In court, the man strongly denied the charge of having forced himself onto his 36-year-old female Lebanese friend and raping her in March.
“I did not do that,” the Emirati suspect was heard telling presiding judge Urfan Omar as he entered a not guilty plea.
Court records said the suspect called the woman and invited her and other friends to a high-end dinner at a luxury hotel in Dubai.
Before the dinner finished, the footballer informed the woman that he had made a room reservation for her to stay overnight and had also reserved a room for himself.
"...he called me to invite me to dinner at a 5-star hotel..."
After the dinner, the suspect called the 36-year-old Lebanese UAE-resident and told her that he needed a charger to charge his phone. She informed him that she had one in her room.
Gulf News reports that the couple sat on the balcony drinking and eating for some time. When the woman walked back into her room, the man tried to flirt with her, but she rejected him.
"On that day, he called me to invite me to dinner at a 5-star hotel. He said he had a surprise for me and that he booked a hotel room for me. He told me to bring my friend along as his friend would have dinner with us," said the complainant according to local media reports.
The man is accused to have repeatedly tried to touch the woman and lure her to bed with him, but she persistently cut him off, said the records.
Consequently, the footballer turned violent, pulled her by her hair, threw her on the bed, pinned her down, and raped her.
"I want my rights."
After taking a shower, she tried to leave the room, but the man prevented and threatened her. In addition, it is claimed that the Emirati man assaulted her physically and threatened to kill her.
The defendant's DNA was found on the complainant's body and underwear.
During Monday’s trial, the Lebanese woman approached the directing judge and simply stated: "I want my rights."
The case continues as presiding Judge Omar notified the Lebanese woman to reappear in court on October 12, 2017, to hear her statement.