Taxi driver touched female passenger and exposed himself, Dubai court hears

DUBAI // A taxi driver forced a maid to touch his private parts, a court heard on Thursday.

The 43-year-old driver denies a charge of sexual assault after an incident on December 3 last year when the maid’s sponsor requested a car to drive her to an address in Al Barsha.

Dubai Criminal Court heard the Filipina maid, 29, had arrived in the country two weeks earlier and was unsure of herself.

“He had me sat at the front (of the vehicle) and seconds after he drove off, he put ut his right arm and touched my shoulder then all the way down to my breasts then thighs. I tried to push his hand away but he just put it back,” said the maid.

She said she was scared when he exposed himself to her then forced her to touch him.

“It was in the middle of the day and cars all around us but no one was looking so I could ask for help,” the court heard.

When they got to the destination, “I saw my sponsor waiting and I ran towards him and told him what happened but the driver sped off,” said the woman, who was taken by her sponsor to a police station to report the incident.

“I ordered a ride through Careem and they provided me with the name of the driver and type of car, and after she ran towards me crying and told me what happened, I immediately reported him to police,” said the woman’s Canadian sponsor, a 42-year-old economic consultant.

The case was adjourned until February 23.

salamir@thenational.ae