UAE | Crime
Man charged with attempted sodomy sentenced to 10 years in jail
A Saudi man charged with attempting to have intercourse with an Omani boy in a public place has been sentenced to 10 years in jail on Thursday.
- By Bassam Zaza, Senior Reporter
- Published: 11:16 June 19, 2008
Dubai: A Saudi visitor who attempted to sodomise a 12-year-old boy in a cave in Ski Dubai last November will spend 10 years in prison.
The 26-year-old accused stood dazed in the dock when he heard Presiding Judge Abdul Majid of Dubai Court of First Instance pronounce the ruling. The accused will be deported after serving his sentence.
"I had taken liquor and I don't recall any details of what happened," the accused, S.B., told the court earlier.
The Public Prosecution charged him with attempting to have homosexual intercourse with the Omani boy in front of other children in a public place. He was charged with dragging the boy to a ski cave where he forced him to undress and attempted to sodomize him. One of the security guards at Ski Dubai foiled the attempt.
When the judge repeatedly asked the accused whether he was guilty, S.B. replied: "I don't remember anything ... I was drunk."
A Kenyan visitors' guide testified: "A group of boys, aged between 10 and 12, asked me to help their friend because someone had done something bad to him. I informed the security and headed with the boys to the ski arena. Several boys were watching and I saw the boy on the floor." She said it was an awkward situation for her.
"I pulled the suspect off him ... he tried to hush the boy who cried ... then the suspect kicked me and tried to continue what he was doing until another guard intervened and stopped him. We took the suspect to the security office and reported it to police," the guide said.
A court-assigned committee of therapists confirmed that S.B. does not suffer from any mental illness.
The initial verdict is still subject to appeal.
I pulled the suspect off him ... he tried to hush the boy who cried ... then the suspect kicked me..."
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