An American citizen based in Dubai is currently on trial for forcibly kissing an Arab woman who was attending an exhibition run by him, Khaleej Times reported.
The 58-year-old defendant, who is of Arab origin, is accused of grabbing the woman's "face and kissing her on the lips while she was alone at the exhibition."
After he was detained by Dubai police, the man confessed to harassing the woman during the incident, which took place on March 26.
The woman didn't immediately report the incident
In her complaint against the man, the victim said she had visited the expo managed by him.
"I wanted to open my own business in Oman and thought I could use the artworks on display. The accused, who is one of the fair owners, welcomed me and showed me around. We exchanged numbers for business purposes and he walked with me to the door. He kept talking for about 20 minutes and I could not find a way out of our conversation," she said.
The woman added she was shocked when he violently grabbed her face and kissed her.
Upset and shaken, she rushed out of the place but didn't report the incident to police at the time because she didn't want to tell her mother about it.
It wasn't the first time the man harassed someone
In the days after the incident the woman's friends advised her to report the matter to authorities, revealing to her that the man had a history of attacking women.
"They told me to lodge a complaint against him because they knew how he was like and that he did the same to another woman earlier. That woman opted to keep quiet about the incident," she explained.
In her statement to prosecutors, the victim added that she later sent a message to the man on WhatsApp because she felt the need to give him a chance to explain his behavior.
He replied telling her he enjoyed the kiss and would do it again. He also sent her a picture of himself.
The woman then decided to report him and he now faces legal consequences over his actions.