A driver has been accused of blackmailing his female friend, telling her he would show an alleged sex video of her with another man to her father if she didn’t meet him.

The 25-year-old Syrian woman was said to have become friends with the 35-year-old countryman driver on Facebook in 2014 and they used to chat over the phone. The couple remained friends for some time, according to records, but the friendship had drifted until the driver contacted her again in October 2015.

The Syrian man was believed to have repeatedly asked to meet up with the woman over an issue which he claimed to be very personal and important, said records.

Despite the man’s persistent and repetitive attempts to convince the woman to meet him, the woman refused until the day he sent her a message claiming he had seen a video on the internet of her having sex with a man.

Records said the man did not yield to the woman’s rejection and kept asking her to meet him to discuss the issue.

Then he texted her threatening to show the video to her father and post it online. Then the woman reported him to the police.

Prosecutors accused the 35-year-old driver of abusing the telecommunication system and threatening to disrepute the woman.

The suspect pleaded not guilty when he appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Monday.

He contended before presiding judge Urfan Omar: “We had a friendship that later developed into something serious and we were considering nurturing something out of our relationship … then I discovered the video of her on the internet. When I asked to meet her to discuss that issue, she refused.”

The 25-year-old woman claimed to prosecutors that she and the suspect were only friends and nothing more.

“We stopped communicating towards the end of 2014. In October 2015, he called me up and asked to meet me but I refused. He called me repeatedly and annoyed me with the loads of calls and SMSs. I constantly refused to meet him. Until one day he claimed that he had to see me for a very private and dangerous matter related to my honour … he alleged that he had seen what he described as a shameful video of me having sex with a man. Convinced that he was lying, I refused to meet him. Then I told him to send me the link of that video if he was serious and honest … and he never did. He claimed that he would only show me the video if I agreed to meet him. Thereafter, he started blackmailing me and sending me SMSs of offensive nature. He also threatened me over the phone that he would show the footage to my father and upload it online if I refused to see him,” she testified to prosecutors.

The 35-year-old was quoted as admitting to prosecutors that he had spoken to the woman about the video over the phone and via SMS.

The trial continues.

Source: gulfnews.com