British man John Murphy fined Dh20,000 for Abu Dhabi hotel assault

Manager of Burj Khalifa found guilty following heated exchange with guard

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The British Burj Khalifa operations manager has been hit with a Dh20,000 fine after being convicted of assaulting security guards at an Abu Dhabi hotel.

John Murphy, 52, was originally accused of sexually assaulting the three workers at the Armed Officers Club and Hotel in June.

The charge was changed to one of physical assault when he appeared before Abu Dhabi Criminal Court.

The grandfather told the British press that he had pushed one of the guards on the hip to get past him after being cornered by the staff.

He said the incident was sparked when hotel staff accused his wife's cousin, who is a massage therapist, of offering out-of-hours massages after he invited him up to their room for coffee.

He told media that he initially made a complaint about the guards' behaviour, only for the hotel to lodge a counter-claim of sexual assault.

He was referred to public prosecution on June 5, and remained in detention until his first court hearing on July 15 at the Abu Dhabi criminal court.

The court changed the charge from sexual assault to physical attack, and granted him bail during his first hearing, based on his request.

Mr Murphy did not appoint a defence attorney and represented himself in court.

The verdict is subject to appeal.

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More from court:

Gold trader burnt with hot knife and robbed after being lured to hotel by massage offer, court hears

Man raped teenager and then asked him to clean his car

Raiders jailed over Dh410,000 Dubai villa break-in

Dubai Police officer 'used his uniform' to avoid paying for petrol

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