Abu Dhabi boy's rape-murder: Accused claims he was never at crime scene

Abu Dhabi - Lawyer argues the accused was in his accommodation at the time of the incident.

A Pakistani man accused of strangling a child to death on the rooftop of their building in Abu Dhabi denied all the charges against him in court on Tuesday. His lawyer, Hassan Al Riyami, argued that his client was at his accommodation in Mussafah at the time of the murder.

The 33-year-old Pakistani man is on trial at the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court of First Instance for killing the 11-year-old boy after raping him. The Pakistani boy -- identified as Azan Majid -- went missing on June 1 after he went to a nearby mosque to pray. His body was found the next day on the rooftop of the building on Muroor Road where he was staying with his father and stepmother.
Man plotted rape, murder for months

The Abu Dhabi Public Prosecution charged the Pakistani with premeditated murder, raping the child, cross-dressing and driving a car without a number plate.

Al Riyami said: "The prosecution evidence report about the murder was entirely based on statements from the security guards at the building, who never witnessed the man attacking the child.
Man accused of rape, murder denies charges

"They were just narrations and no substantial evidence was presented to prove that my client was the person who carried out the attack on the child."

The boy's parents - who have been attending all court sessions - said they wanted justice and insisted that the defendant be given the death penalty if found guilty.
Accused fit to stand trial

The public prosecution had presented their argument at the previous hearing. A prosecutor said investigations revealed that the Pakistani, who is brother of the child's stepmother, had plotted the attack for months while befriending him.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi