UAE | Crime

Man accused of molesting mentally challenged girl

Defendant pleads not guilty

By Bassam Za’za’, Legal and Court Correspondent
Published: 18:49 February 10, 2013

Dubai: A driver has been accused of sexually molesting and abusing a 16-year-old mentally challenged girl, who is a member of Dubai Club for Special Sports, in the back seat of a bus.

A Filipina bus supervisor was said to have spotted the mentally challenged and disabled Emirati girl walk to the back seat of the bus along with the 26-year-old Pakistani driver, O.Z.

“The driver pulled over. She walked to the back seat with him… I felt the bus shake for nearly ten minutes. When she came back to her seat, she was fixing her jeans under the abaya. When I looked back, I saw her partly undressed and the defendant was exposed,” the supervisor claimed during prosecution questioning.

Prosecutors accused O.Z. of sexually molesting the mentally challenged girl and committing with her indecent and bizarre actions late at night in the bus.

According to the charge sheet, prosecutors said the defendant parked the bus in Al Warqa area where he undressed the girl and abused her.

“No, I am not guilty,” claimed the defendant when he entered his plea before the Dubai Court of First Instance.

The Filipina witness testified that she was on board the bus of the Dubai Club for Special Sports [DCSS} when the incident happened on July 23.

“O.Z. drives the mentally challenged girls, who are DCSS members, to their homes. He drove towards the girl’s house… she moved forward to a front seat when he spoke to her in Arabic. He asked the girl whether to stop the bus, but she said no. When he asked her again, she said yes. When the girl walked with O.Z. to the back of the bus, I turned to the front because I was very shocked and scared. I felt the bus shaking for 10 minutes. Then the girl came back to the front her abaya was open and she was fixing her clothes. She asked me for tissues and then I asked her what happened… but she said nothing. She cleaned herself and went back to the suspect and handed him some tissues to do the same. The driver was partly undressed and exposed himself… the girl then threw the tissues out of the window.

“The driver went back to his seat and drove off. The girl refused to tell me what happened at the back although I tried to convince her to speak to me. The driver, who seemed scared, asked me not to tell anyone what happened. When I reached DCSS, where I lived, I informed my co-worker about what had happened. The latter informed the management,” claimed the supervisor.

Medical reports confirmed that the girl is mentally challenged and disabled since birth.

Prosecution records said the girl is not responsible for her actions and doesn’t realise the consequences of her behaviour.

Forensic reports confirmed that the victim was sexually abused.

A verdict will be heard on February 27.