Watchman charged with molesting schoolgirl

Dubai: A watchman has denied molesting a 12-year-old schoolgirl and accused her father of maliciously lodging a complaint against him due to an earlier fight between them.

Prosecutors charged the 36-year-old Bangladeshi guardsman M.M. with sexually assaulting the Filipina schoolgirl.

Defending himself before the Dubai Court of First Instance yesterday, M.M. said: "I am not guilty. That's untrue. There is a dispute between her father and myself. Your honour, the father lodged his complaint on malicious grounds. On the day of the incident, the father beat me and assaulted me… I called the police and reported what really happened. I also headed to Rashid Hospital for treatment."

The Public Prosecution charged the suspect with molesting the schoolgirl by hugging and kissing her against her will and also touching her face.

"Why did the father lodge the complaint maliciously against you? What did you do for him to complain against you?" the suspect was asked by Presiding Judge Hamad Abdul Latif Abdul Jawad.

"After he beat me, I called up the police… when they came to arrest him, he fabricated this whole incident and accused me of molesting his girl. Well, I didn't touch her. I am innocent your honour," M.M. said.

"He was our building's watchman… one day he followed me to the lift where he hugged and kissed me...," the victim claimed in her statement.

M.M. failed to corroborate his claim that he was assaulted by the victim's father. The judge adjourned the case until January 7.