Pinoy, Pakistani deny consensual sex charge in UAE court

A Pakistani salesman and his Filipino colleague appeared before a United Arab Emirates court Monday over charges of consensual sex last April. The Pakistani denied the charges and insisted they never went beyond friendship, according to a report on news site Gulf News. Police had claimed catching the two men — a 28-year-old Filipino and a 24-year-old Pakistani — having “consensual sex" in the backseat of a car. The two men pleaded not guilty when they appeared before the Dubai Misdemeanors Court Monday. They said the charge against them was a “groundless accusation." Prosecutors said the Pakistani allowed the Filipino to have consensual sex with him. “One April eve, we agreed to go out for dinner. I drove to his house and was waiting under his building to pick him up when a police patrol stopped me," the Gulf News report quoted the Pakistani as saying during police questioning. The Pakistani said he met the Filipino one year ago and was not aware his friend was a homosexual. “We became very close friends, and actually he became my best friend since he started teaching me the English language," he added. Investigation showed the two met at the Al Mutainah area and chatted before they became friends and exchanged contact numbers. The Gulf News report said the Filipino admitted to taking money for having sex with the Pakistani. Presiding Judge Abdul Majid Al Nizamy will hand out a verdict on Aug. 25. ‘Forced confession’ The Pakistani also claimed the police ordered him to confess he had consensual sex with the Filipino. “I was scared… and that’s why I claimed that I had sexual intercourse with [the Filipino] several times in the backseat of my car in the parking of Mirdiff City Center… I said so because the police scared me," the Pakistani told police investigators. — JE, GMA News