Dubai: A 22-year-old man faces five years in jail after a court convicted him yesterday of sexually abusing a six-year-old schoolgirl while teaching her how to pray at her home.

The Dubai Court of First Instance Tuesday convicted the Indian man, A.B., of molesting the girl, also Indian, after he partly undressed her and abused her while teaching her how to pray on the prayer mat in the living room.

Pronouncing yesterday's judgment, Presiding Judge Al Saeed Mohammad Barghout said the accused will be deported after the completion of his imprisonment.

Prosecution records said the girl's 43-year-old father hired the defendant to give Quran and religious lessons to the girl, her seven-year-old sister and their brother.

The defendant pleaded not guilty when he appeared in court.

Confirmation

Forensic doctors confirmed that the girl had been molested while she had her clothes on.

The primary judgment is still subject to appeal within 15 days.

According to the chargesheet, prosecutors said the accused used to visit the household regularly to teach the children the Quran and other religious practices. The father testified that his wife informed him that the alleged incident occurred when A.B. was teaching their six-year-old daughter how to pray.

"My girl approached me in fear and complained that the teacher misbehaved with her… claiming he molested her. She showed me her trousers which she claimed were soiled by the accused. My girl claimed that A.B. asked her to sleep on her belly over the praying mat before he removed her clothes partly and abused her," the mother claimed during prosecution questioning.

The father told prosecutors: "I arrived at home immediately after my wife called me…it was strange that the suspect was absent although his usual 30-minute-long session was not over. A.B used to teach my children religious studies between Maghrib and Isha prayers.

"I entered the bedroom and saw my wife panic-stricken. My daughter described to me the alleged indecent action which the suspect did to her."

Records said Dubai police arrested the defendant shortly after the incident.