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New hearing date set in French boy rape case

DUBAI — The Dubai Court of Appeal yesterday fixed the next date of hearing in the case of two Emirati nationals convicted of raping a French-Swiss teenager last year after it was revealed that the boy had been tested negative for HIV.

The court fixed the new hearing date to allow the defence lawyer of the two Emiratis — a 35-year-old who is HIV-positive, and an 18-year-old — to prepare the defence statement in view of the revelation.

The duo were sentenced by the Dubai Court of First Instance to 15 years in jail for raping the 15-year-old boy.

Hussien Al Jazairi, lawyer for the boy, told Khaleej Times that Veronique Robert, the boy’s mother, called him from Switzerland informing him that tests had proved that the boy did not have Aids. The second series of tests were conducted exactly six months after the incident to confirm the result of the first tests since HIV may take six months to appear.

The mother, however, said at least one of the defendants knew he was HIV-positive and should be given death sentence.

Al Jazairi said the third defendant, who is under 18 and is being tried in a juvenile court on the same charges, could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. He said a psychiatrist had submitted a report to the court about the boy’s condition. The report would be taken up at the next hearing by the juvenile court tomorrow.

• UAE