A private taxi driver lost his appeal and will spend six months in jail for groping a maid while driving her from her sponsor’s place to Shaikh Zayed Road in Dubai.

The 43-year-old Pakistani driver received a notification on his phone application to pick up the Filipina maid from a residence in Umm Suqeim and drive her to Shaikh Zayed Road in December in 2016.

The 29-year-old Filipina was sitting in the front passenger when the driver touched her neck first and then her private parts.

The Filipina was frightened so she didn’t shout or resist her assailant. In March, the Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the defendant of molestation.

The defendant appealed his six-month imprisonment and argued before the Dubai Appeal Court that he didn’t expose himself and force the maid to touch him while waiting at a traffic junction.

Presiding judge Saeed Salem Bin Sarm rejected the defendant’s appeal and upheld his six-month jail term.

The accused will be deported after serving his jail term, according to Wednesday’s ruling.

The 29-year-old Filipina said her Canadian sponsor called a private taxi to take her to Shaikh Zayed Road at 1pm.

“I buckled my seat belt and the driver moved towards Mall of the Emirates. Two minutes later, the defendant put his hand on my neck and face and then my top … he also moved it further down and groped my private parts. He molested me with his right hand while he kept the other on the steering wheel. I was scared and when he stopped at a signal, he removed his hand. Meanwhile, he exposed himself and forced me to touch him … I was too scared to move my hand away because he seemed a strong person. His car had tinted windows and it was difficult for people outside to see what was going on inside. I told my sponsor what had happened … the driver drove away quickly,” she testified.

The Canadian sponsor said he had ordered for a private taxi using the application on his phone.

“When she arrived, the maid cried bitterly and told me what had happened. We complained to the police,” he testified.

The appellate ruling remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 30 days.

Source: gulfnews.com