Cleaner jailed for molesting 9-year-old girl in Dubai gym

Dubai - The case dates back to March 22 this year in Al Barsha.

A 31-year-old man, who molested a 9-year-old girl after seeing her alone at a Dubai gym, was sentenced to six months in jail on Tuesday. The public prosecution records show the Bangladeshi cleaner touched the girl inappropriately when he spotted her away from her parents in the building gym. He did it more than once while pretending he was showing her how to use the sports equipment.
The Dubai Court of First Instance ordered his deportation at the end of his jail term. He had denied the charge at court.
The case dates back to March 22 this year in Al Barsha.
The girl from Algeria said during the investigation the man opened a door at the gym for her and her sister. She recounted that he followed her to three workout machines and touched her "in a bad way" as he showed her how to use them. "I tried to remove his hand, but he did not for a few seconds. He told me to look at something to distract me."
As she was feeling uncomfortable around the accused, she left with her sister and went home to tell her mother about the incident.
The mother, a housewife, said her daughter came back home that day looking very scared. "She told me how a man had touched her. My husband filed a police complaint after I called him."
mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai