Saudi student slapped taxi driver in smoking spat



DUBAI// A 22-year-old female student attacked a taxi driver who tried to stop her smoking a cigarette in his cab, a court has heard.

Prosecutors said that the Saudi defendant BA, hailed the taxi at 6.30am on August 14 and took the front seat, while her two sisters sat in the back.

The Pakistani taxi driver ZK, 28, testified that he picked up the girls near the Burj Khalifa who asked to be taken to Abu Dhabi.

“On the way the defendant started smoking, I told her it was not allowed but she did not listen, a moment later, the girl in the back started smoking too,” said the driver.

The driver pulled over onto a service road on Sheikh Zayed Road and informed the girls that he would not resume the journey because they were breaking rules.

“She slapped me when I said that, so I called police right away,” noted the driver who denied assaulting any of the girls.

The defendant claimed she asked him for his permission to smoke but instead of refusing politely, he started screaming loudly at her and waving his hand in front of her face.

“He was speaking in a very provocative way and waving his hand in my face so I caught his hand after he pulled over then I scratched him in the hand, after which he bit me,” said the defendant.

Police arrived and took them all to the station, where the girl was found to have consumed alcohol.

The charges of assault for the student and the taxi driver were not referred to prosecutors.

She was, however, referred to the Court of Misdemeanours to face a charge of consuming alcohol without a licence. She confessed and was fined Dh1,000.

salamir@thenational.ae

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