A 21-year old woman was convicted of physical assault charges after punching a police officer who tried to arrest her drunken male companion.
According to records from Dubai Criminal Court, the incident happened on January 1.
The couple involved – a Russian man and a Ukrainian woman – were reportedly both intoxicated.
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The couple had been at a dance club in Jumeirah Beach Residence and attempted to re-enter the premises against the club’s rules. Despite being asked to leave by the venue’s security guards, the couple persisted.
A police officer, who noticed the commotion, approached them. He identified himself and requested the couple to leave quietly in compliance with the club’s regulations.
The officer recounted in court how the couple initially argued and delayed their departure. “As they were walking away, the Russian man insulted me with profanity,” the officer said. The man was asked to go to the police station but hurriedly fled the scene.
During the pursuit, the Ukrainian woman intervened by striking the officer on the left side of his face to prevent the arrest of her friend. The club’s head of security corroborated this account, confirming the assault by the woman and the verbal insult from the man.
Denied charges in court
The woman was also taken into police custody. Both individuals, however, denied the charges in court – the man contested the insult charge and the woman denied the assault. They presented a document indicating that the officer had waived his rights in the case against them.
Despite their defence, the court found the woman guilty of physically assaulting a police officer and sentenced her to three months in prison, accounting for time already served in jail.
Additionally, the judge ordered her deportation following the completion of her sentence.
The case against the Russian was dismissed as the officer waived his personal right to pursue the insult charge.