Dubai: Quran teacher acquitted of molesting girl at home

Dubai - The student accused him of harassing her for over a year.

A Quran teacher has been acquitted of molesting an 11-year-old girl while teaching her and her three siblings at their home.

According to the Public Prosecution's investigations, the Asian was accused of taking advantage of the young girl and groping her at her family's house.

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The victim stated that the accused, who is an imam of a mosque, was teaching the Quran to her and her three brothers two years ago, and that he used to come to the house in the afternoon while the mother was at work.

She said that he tried to kiss and touch her several times without her brothers noticing, and that he would follow her to the building elevator, harassing her in it too. This happened for about a year, she said.

According to Emarat Al Youm, the girl said she did not inform her mother throughout that time because she was ashamed and afraid. In the end, she decided to report the matter after she could not stand it any more and noted that there were cameras in the house as well as in the elevator.

The mother of the victim said that, last September, her daughter told her that the imam of the mosque who was teaching her at home harassed and kissed her, and followed her when she went to another private school.

The mother added that the accused began teaching her children the Quran about two years ago in the apartment hall, where there are surveillance cameras, but he began harassing her daughter only a year ago. She stated that she sent the content of the cameras to the Dubai Police, but was told they did not contain any evidence, and that the recording system only stored footage for a month.

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She asked her eldest son, who is 14 years old, if he noticed anything, but he said he had not.

The Dubai Police forensic report confirmed that no apparent marks were seen on the girl's body, and that she was healthy. Meanwhile, the accused completely denied the accusations against him.

The Dubai Criminal Court ordered that the imam of the mosque be acquitted for lack of evidence.

The court stated that it is not logical that the accused committed these acts in the presence of her brothers, without either of them noticing anything.

It added that the cameras are located in a visible place in the hall, and although the recordings are only kept for a month, the victim had stated that the last time the accused molested was only three days before informing her mother.

The recordings, however, do not show any abuse by the imam towards the child.

• Dubai