A MAN has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of human trafficking and forcing a woman into prostitution while also holding her captive and raping her.
The High Criminal Court also fined the 34-year-old BD2,000 and ordered that he cover the repatriation fees of his 36-year-old Pakistani victim.
He will be deported to his home country of Pakistan following the completion of his sentence.
“I came to Bahrain on February 8 under the impression that I would be working at a hotel salon,” said the woman in her statement to the Public Prosecution.
“I was received at Bahrain International Airport by the defendant who took me to an apartment in Juffair where he held me captive for a month before moving me to another apartment in the same area.
“He kept me locked up in the apartment where he raped me several times and forced me into prostitution. He promised me that I would get a job if I paid him BD800 for a visa.”
According to her statement, the brute also forced her to clean homes without pay and forced himself on her multiple times during her captivity.
Court documents revealed that she was held captive for more than three months before managing to escape his clutches on May 9 when the defendant was in a drunken state.
“The man contacted the victim and pretended to be someone else while promising her legitimate employment in Bahrain,” said the court in its ruling yesterday.
“When she arrived, he held her captive in an apartment in Juffair where he brought clients over and forced her into prostitution while making a living out of that money. He also forced her to serve him without pay and raped her multiple times.
“On May 9, the 34-year-old was drunk and he started attacking the victim who managed to escape from the apartment.
“As the defendant chased her, witnesses alerted the authorities who arrested him.”
Although denying the charges in front of judges, the court heard he had admitted during his interrogation with the Public Prosecution to human trafficking, forced labour, sexual and physical assault, using death threats to force the victim to comply, as well as holding her captive.
A medical report included in the case files confirmed that the victim suffered multiple injuries such as scratches, bruises and bite marks.
The Human Trafficking Prosecution head yesterday said that a report had been received stating that the accused had detained a victim in a housing unit.
“Through taking the necessary legal measures, the defendant was arrested,” he said in an official statement released yesterday.
An investigation revealed that he brought her to Bahrain under false pretences.
“However, upon her arrival he kept her in a residential unit and forced her into housework without her consent, or pay, in addition to sexually assaulting her,” he said.
“The Public Prosecution launched an investigation as soon as it was informed of the incident and listened to the statement of the victim while providing her the necessary protection at the National Anti-Human Trafficking Shelter.”
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