A 38-year-old Asian grocer was accused of molesting a five-year-old girl, the Dubai Criminal Court heard Tuesday. The child used to go to the grocery accompanied by a maid to buy candies.

The defendant molested the child and took photos of her.

The child’s father testified he saw his daughter crying on the day the incident took place.   

When he asked her the reason behind it, she said the defendant refused to sell candy to her this time.

She then said that every time he sells her candies, he plays with her and touches her body.  

When the father enquired the maid, she too said the grocer plays with the child. He would  make her sit on a table, touch her body and take photos with her, the maid added.

The girl’s father called the police, who arrested and interrogated the defendant.

He was referred to the judicial authorities.

In an unrelated case, The Ajman Police GHQ revealed a swimming trainer was charged with negligence when he failed to save a young man from drowning in a gym’s swimming pool in Ajman. He was referred to the Public Prosecution.

The incident took place in the evening. The victim did not know how to swim and fell into the pool, while the trainer was preoccupied. He realised the victim fell into the water after a period of time. He rushed to him, pulled him out and tried to save him, but to no vain.

The police has stressed the need to have rescuers in gyms to monitor young people who come to learn swimming.  In a recent incident, an Asian boy, 11, died from drowning in a swimming pool of a residential tower in Al Nahda, Sharjah. The boy was taking swimming lessons in the same tower in which he lived with his family.

Al Qasimi Hospital’s emergency unit said the national ambulance arrived at the hospital at 8:48pm but the boy died before reaching. The hospital management had to report the incident to the police. Sharjah Police are currently investigating the drowning incident to see how the boy drowned.

Recently, a two-year-old child drowned in the swimming pool of his parents’ house in Al Ain City.

The incident came to light when the Central Operations Control Room at Abu Dhabi Police received a call that a child drowned in Jebel Hafeet area.

The Police believe that it is negligence that causes child drowning incidents, and has time and again stressed the need for families to avoid leaving their children alone while swimming and to keep an open eye on them wherever they are in order to maintain their safety.