Dubai: A barber has been jailed for a year for molesting a nine-year-old girl while she played with kittens near her house.
The 30-year-old Pakistani barber, S.I., hugged and kissed the Indian girl shortly after her brother called her to come out and play with the newborn kittens near her family home in Freij Al Marar in May.
The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted S.I. of molesting the girl on different occasions near the family’s home. The accused pleaded innocent when he appeared in court.
The defendant had forced himself on the girl several times, kissed her and hugged her against her will, said records.
Presiding judge Urfan Omar said the accused will be deported after serving his punishment.
The girl told prosecutors that when her brother came home from school at 7pm, he called her out to play with the kittens that he had seen.
“We rushed out to play with the kittens … then my brother went to play with our neighbours. The suspect came and grabbed my hand, he walked me to a nearby alley where he claimed that there were more kittens to play with. I saw a number of kittens … the suspect grabbed me by one arm and he touched me indecently with his other arm. He also hugged me and kissed me. When my brother came and called me, the suspect let me go. I told my mother what had happened. Three days later, our neighbour came and told us that a firefighting truck was outside … we went out to watch it. The suspect came from behind and hugged and kissed me. He also touched me indecently. A few days later, we were all going out when my brother spotted the suspect and pointed at him and told my mother that he was the person who had touched me. The defendant told my mother that he works in a nearby barber shop. When she informed my father, my father took me to the salon to identify the suspect.”
The girl’s father reported the matter to the police, who apprehended S.I.
The defendant told prosecutors that he had grabbed the girl’s wrist but did not molest her.
Thursday’s ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.
