Dubai: A brother and sister have landed in court after the latter took video footage of two policemen handcuffing her brother and putting him in a police car following a traffic accident.

The Egyptian woman was said to be driving and her brother was in the passenger seat when she called the police after being involved in an accident in Hor Al Anz in April.

While the policemen were preparing the accident report, according to prosecution records, the brother was said to have indulged in a heated argument with the officers.

Prosecutors accused the sister of breaching the privacy of the two policemen when she used her mobile phone to take video footage of them handcuffing her brother and putting him inside the police car.

The brother was charged with using physical force and resisting arrest and verbally threatening the policemen.

The duo pleaded not guilty and strongly refuted their accusations when they showed up before the Dubai Misdemeanours Court on Sunday.

Defence lawyer Ali Abdullah Al Shamsi argued before the presiding judge that his clients did not commit any crime or act punishable by law.

“The woman suspect did not breach the policemen’s privacy as she took video footage in an open and public place and not in a private location. Besides, she did not publish the footage or broadcast the same on the internet or any social media network. She took the footage as evidence that she wanted to provide to the police and prove that her brother had been unlawfully handcuffed and put into a police car. Meanwhile the male suspect did not use any form of force with the policemen, who tried to arrest him against his will … my client did not commit any crime. Why did they even apprehend him in the first place? Actually he was a victim and not a suspect,” Al Shamsi contended in court.

According to the charge sheet, prosecutors said the sister abused the telecommunication system [a mobile phone] to breach the privacy of two policemen when she recorded their images without their consent.

Meanwhile, the brother resisted being arrested by using physical force and causing minor injuries to the policemen. He also threatened them verbally when he said ‘I will show you… I am well connected to police officers … I am a doctor and you don’t know me … who are you to arrest me and take me to the police station’.”

“The incident happened in a public place and in front of many pedestrians who witnessed what happened and how the policemen reacted. My client [the sister] did not breach the policemen’s privacy and she did not use the footage for illegal purposes or criminal intentions … she recorded the video to document what had happened to her brother. The latter did not assault or use physical violence against the policemen … actually it was the other way round. The policemen used force and wanted to handcuff my client forcibly and against his will. Although he spoke to them calmly and tried to speak to their superiors… they treated him brutally and forced him into the police car. They caused injuries to themselves when they used unneeded force against my client,” argued Al Shamsi.

Prosecution witnesses’ statements were inconsistent and contradictory, contended the lawyer, who asked the court to acquit his clients.

A ruling will be heard next month.