Man gets jail for molesting 13-year-old boy in Dubai

Dubai - The accused followed the boy inside the elevator and groped him several times.

A man has been sentenced to three months in jail by a Dubai court for molesting a 13-year-old Arab boy outside his building and in the elevator.

According to the public prosecution records, the incident took place when the 30-year-old Pakistani jobless man spotted the teenager alone outside a building in International City on April 3, 2018. He groped the boy there and followed him to the elevator where he touched him again inappropriately. A case was registered at Al Rashidiya police station.
The accused denied the charge at the Court of First Instance. However, the court found him guilty and ordered his deportation.
A police sergeant said they arrested the defendant at the Moroccan cluster of the International City on January 20 in connection with a report about molestation of a minor. "We received a report that a boy was molested at 3.30pm on April 3, last year. We moved to the scene in the Emirati cluster and talked to the complainant.
"We heard how he was approached by the defendant as he sat on the stairs of his building. The boy felt scared when the Pakistani man sat next to him. He ran and took the lift. He was shocked as that man followed him inside the lift and groped him several times. The victim pushed the man away and ran out once he reached his floor. He told his parents right away," the officer told the prosecutor. He added that the defendant's involvement in the case was proven based on a reliable source's tip and the victim's descriptions of the suspect.
"The accused claimed he had gone to International City to have a haircut. He wandered for some time before he spotted the boy sitting alone. He confessed he pretended he was friendly and then molested the boy. The accused recounted that he found a woman screaming at him when he exited the building. He was apologising to her when a man grabbed him. But he was let to leave and he ran away," the sergeant told the investigator.
In the charge sheet, the prosecutor noted that the defendant's running away from the scene is an indication that he had an ill intention towards the boy.
The ruling has been appealed.

mary@khaleejtimes.com
 

• Dubai