Dubai: A barber has been jailed for three months for following a teenage girl into an elevator in the building where she lived and molesting her.
The Indian barber, N.M., entered the building behind the 17-year-old Indian schoolgirl and groped her once they were inside the lift.
The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted N.M. of molestation.
The defendant had pleaded innocent and contended before the court that he did not do anything.
Presiding judge Urfan Omar said the accused will be deported after serving his jail term.
According to records, the accused took advantage of the fact that the girl was alone with him in the lift when he molested her in November.
The 17-year-old testified that the incident happened around 2.30pm as she returned home from school.
“I left the public bus and went into the building where I live with my parents. Once I entered the lift, the accused came in behind me. He asked me how I was doing, but I did not respond. Then he touched me indecently. I pushed him away immediately. The elevator door opened and I rushed out just as he was about to grope me a second time. I rushed to our flat and told my mother what had happened. She took me to the police station where I told them what the defendant had done,” she told prosecutors.
The girl’s mother stated that her daughter was sobbing uncontrollably once she entered the house.
“When we did not find the defendant near the building, we asked the security guard to show us the CCTV footage. The defendant was shown following my girl into the lift,” she said.
N.M. was quoted as telling prosecutors that he did not live in the building or know anybody who lived there. He admitted that he had walked behind the girl into the lift.
Monday’s ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.
