Dubai: A chef who lured a seven-year-old girl to a building’s staircase and abused her sexually lost his appeal on Wednesday and will spend seven years in jail.

The girl was going to play with children in a games area of a residential tower at the International Media Production Zone in Dubai when the 21-year-old chef saw her in the lift in December 2016.

The defendant asked the girl where she was heading and she replied that she was going to the games area.

Then he lured the minor to the staircase room and abused her sexually. He also asked the girl to not tell anyone about what had happened but the scared girl rushed back home and informed her father.

In August, the Dubai Court of First Instance jailed the Egyptian defendant for three years.

 She seemed petrified. When I asked her what happened, she told me that the accused took her from the lift to the staircase room and did something bad to her. She also told me that he asked her to not tell anybody about what he had done.”

 - Girl’s father 


The defendant appealed the primary judgement and sought to have his punishment reduced by the Dubai Appeal Court.

Prosecutors also appealed the primary judgement and asked the appellate court to stiffen the punishment.

Presiding judge Saeed Salem Bin Sarm rejected the defendant’s appeal and accepted that of prosecutors.

“The accused will be imprisoned for seven years, after which he will be deported,” said presiding judge Bin Sarm.

The defendant had pleaded not guilty.

Police were called in and, upon checking surveillance cameras in the building, the accused was identified and apprehended within an hour, said records.

The girl’s father said the incident happened shortly after his daughter had gone down to play with the neighbours’ children in the building’s games area.

“She came back quickly and seemed petrified. She told me something bad had happened. When I asked her what happened, she told me that the accused took her from the lift to the staircase room and did something bad to her. She also told me that he asked her to not tell anybody about what he had done. He also told her that she would never see his face,” the father testified.

A police sergeant said the Egyptian was identified based on the footage obtained from surveillance cameras.

“Upon questioning him, the defendant admitted that he asked the girl to go with him after telling her that he would guide her to the games area. He admitted that he took her to the staircase room where he abused her sexually,” the sergeant said.

The appellate ruling remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 30 days.