Men clapped in irons for abusing schoolboy

Hamza M Sengendo, Staff Reporter

DUBAI: An unemployed man and a labourer who habitually molested a schoolboy after luring him with cash, adult clips and free driving lessons have failed to challenge their penalty.

The unemployed Asian defendant, 34, and labourer, 34, reportedly assaulted the 13-year-old Pakistani schoolboy on various occasions over three months’ period until Oct.25 last year.

The boy’s father filed a complaint at Al Muraqqabat Police Station. Both men denied and swore, they were innocent. The Criminal Court sentenced them to one year in jail plus deportation.

The duo entreated the jury to clear them while arguing they were framed. However, the Dubai Appeals Court’s jury has overlooked their contentions.

The schoolboy revealed that the labourer (the defendant’s countryman) usually lured him with Dhs500 to Dhs600. He assaulted him inside alleys and used to send him Whatsapp messages and adult clips.  Prosecutors explained that the defendant confessed before the police and the labourer confessed during prosecution interrogations. They added that the victim identified both during identity parades, thrice.

On the record, the victim narrated that he used to visit a friend in Hamriya at a building where the defendant stayed. The defendant befriended him and later offered to teach him driving using his tinted car.

One evening the defendant called him and took him to an empty street near Al Mamzar Beach then asked him to go to the rear seat and watch how driving is done. He suddenly jumped at him.

Three weeks later, he apologised and promised not to offend him gain. Nonetheless, he took him to parking lots in Al Mamzar Park. The victim refused to comply. The defendant claimed it was the last time.

He seized his mouth to stop him from shouting. The third time he picked him up from in front his parent’s house after reassuring him he would not abuse him. He abused him in parking lots of a playground in Al Wuheida.

A lieutenant and a sergeant revealed he confessed to have abused the boy more than five times. Before prosecutors, the labourer also acknowledged having abused him after luring him with cash rewards and sending him adult videos.

The boy’s father said the boy’s brother alerted him the defendant (identifying himself with a false name) was abusing the boy. “My son told me he lured him with driving free lessons and abused him thrice in an empty Al Mamzar area parking lot. He carried out his wild acts without respecting his age or considering the boy’s tender age”