Three women visitors, who worked as prostitutes in a massage parlour in a flat at Dubai International City, will be jailed for one year each after they lost their appeals.

In October, Dubai Police were informed about a heist in a flat at the Emirati cluster at International City that was believed to be a massage spa.

In March, the Dubai Court of First Instance jailed the three women to one year each for working in prostitution.

According to the primary judgement, a 27-year-old Albanian man was jailed for three months for running a brothel in the flat that was thought to be used as a massage parlour.

The 27-year-old Albanian defendant had reported to the police that two Emirati men robbed him of Dh1,500 and one of the Albanian women of another Dh1,800.

A 20-year-old Emirati defendant was handed a year in jail for robbing the Albanian man and one of the prostitutes. His 19-year-old countryman was jailed for three months for having sex with one of the prostitutes.

The six defendants appealed their primary judgements before the Appeal Court and sought to have their punishments reduced.

Presiding judge Eisa Al Sharif rejected the three female convicts’ appeal and upheld their one-year imprisonment each. The three women defendants had contended that they worked as masseuses and denied working as prostitutes.

According to the appellate ruling, the court confirmed the rulings against the Albanian defendant and the 19-year-old Emirati.

Meanwhile, the 20-year-old Emirati defendant’s one-year imprisonment was reduced to six months citing grounds of leniency due to his young age.

The three women defendants and the Albanian man will be deported following the completion of their punishments.

Interrogation of the Albanian man revealed that he had been running a brothel in the flat where the three women worked as prostitutes.

The Albanian man contended before the appellate court that he was operating a massage spa and not a brothel from the flat.

The Emirati men pleaded innocent.

A police lieutenant said primary interrogations revealed that the flat was being run as a brothel and not a spa.

“We raided the flat on the fourth floor and it turned out to have been furnished and equipped as a brothel. The Albanian man was the one running it. Upon questioning the women about what had happened, they said the Emirati men visited the flat and one of them had sex with one of the women. Soon after that, the two Emiratis brandished weapons and robbed them before they absconded. The Emirati duo were apprehended shortly after and confessed that they had committed the theft,” the lieutenant said.

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

Source: gulfnews.com