The 49-year-old Pakistani defendant was charged with human trafficking, rape and running a brothel. Image Credit: Supplied / For illustrative purposes only

Dubai: Dubai Court of Appeal has upheld a 15-year sentence for a man who raped and forced a teen into prostitution after he brought her into the country, claiming she was his daughter.

The 49-year-old Pakistani defendant was charged with human trafficking, rape and running a brothel.

According to official records, the defendant tampered with the 13-year-old girl’s passport to make it appear she was his daughter, then brought her to the UAE on a tourist visa two years ago.

He forced her into prostitution until a customer fell in love with her and confronted the trafficker, who allegedly tried to rape her for the third time.

The Pakistani victim said the defendant took advantage of her poor financial condition back home and convinced her and her family that she would make good money in Dubai.

“He raped me in Pakistan before we flew to Dubai together. He used to force me to have sex with around 10 people each day at his brothel,” the girl, now 15, was quoted as saying. She also claimed she would be beaten up if she refused.

The customer who had fallen in love with her told prosecutors that he tried to get her out of the brothel, but when he heard that the defendant raped her, he had a fight with the defendant and alerted Dubai Police in September 2018.

Police raided the location, rescued the girl, arrested the defendant and the man who reported the incident. Both the men were charged with rape.

The man who alerted the police was sentenced to three years in jail for rape as according to UAE law, having sex with a minor is considered rape.