ABU DHABI // A man grabbed a woman inside a lift and threatened her with a knife before dragging her to an empty apartment where he tried to rape her, a court heard today.
But the screams of the woman prompted a number of men to run to her rescue, prosecutors told the Criminal Court.
The woman, a Filipina, said that MA grabbed her as she entered the lift and showed her the knife before taking her to the third floor where he dragged her into an open apartment.
She said despite her resisting he managed to undress her, hit her, and was about to rape her when a number of men burst in, alerted by her screams.
One of the men testified in court that when he arrived he saw the woman lying on the ground with her forehead bleeding and her underwear torn. He said the man was wearing short pants and a white shirt and had a knife in his hand.
He said he carried the woman to the lobby and waited for an ambulance.
The attacker managed to run away before any of the men could stop him. MA was later arrested and charged with attempted rape.
In court, MA said he had never seen the woman before.
The court requested that the other rescuers be called to the next hearing and adjourned the case to February 14.
[ aalkhoori@thenational.ae ]
