A jobless Emirati invited a Lebanese mother to dinner then allegedly raped her in a hotel room on the Palm Jumeirah, a Dubai court heard on Thursday.

Prosecutors said the 29-year-old Emirati called his female friend on March 26 and asked her if she would join him for food at a five-star hotel.

“He told me I can bring my friend and he will bring his friend as well, so I did,” said the 36-year-old woman.

The defendant picked her and her friend up from her apartment at about 9.30pm that day, she said. They arrived at the hotel and found that he had booked her a room for the night and one for himself.

The two women headed to the room then to the swimming pool before later meeting with the defendant and his friend at the hotel restaurant.

“The four of us had dinner, after which our friends left the hotel, so I headed to my room. He walked me back then remained at the reception – he told me he still had to finalise his booking,” said the woman.

The accused called her a few minutes after she got into her room, she said, and asked for a mobile phone charger. When he came to her room to pick it up, he had some alcohol with him and offered her some.

“After we had a few drinks, he started flirting with me and he got closer to me, so I pushed him. He pushed me against the wall then dragged me by my hair and threw me on the bed, after which he raped me,” she said. “I resisted him but he was stronger.”

The woman told prosecutors that she was crying and begging the defendant to allow her to leave the room but he refused, fearing that she would go to police.

“I told him if he wanted to kill me just go ahead and do it. If not, let me leave, for the sake of my children,” said the woman.

He let her go then she told hotel security and they called police who arrived and arrested the defendant. The woman was referred to Rashid Hospital.

The defendant was not present in court on Thursday morning to face a rape charge.

“He would have come if it was not for his son’s serious illness, your honour,” the defendant’s lawyer said to judges.

The next hearing is on September 18.

Source: thenational.ae