ABU DHABI // The Federal Supreme Court has upheld seven-year prison sentences for two men who raped a woman on the night she arrived in the country.
The pair met the woman at the airport before taking her to a hotel room and ordering her to have sex with them on an undisclosed date. When she refused the men held her down, stripped her and raped her.
The two men were first tried at the Umm Al Quwain Criminal Court, which sentenced them to seven years in jail followed by deportation. The verdict was upheld by the emirate's Appeal Court.
They then took the case to the Federal Supreme Court arguing the previous rulings were invalid because of a lack of evidence. Their lawyer argued that the woman had withdrawn her complaint and had lied by claiming to be a virgin at the time of the attack. Medical tests showed the woman was not a virgin when the rape occurred, and found no bruises or effects of violence on her body.
The supreme court rejected that argument, ruling that physical violence was not necessary for rape to have occurred. It said it was enough to show the woman had refused the men's demands.
The DNA of the two men - whose nationality was not disclosed - was found on the trousers the woman was wearing on the day of the incident. The woman's nationality was not mentioned in records.
Both men will be deported following the completion of their prison terms.
hdajani@thenational.ae
