Dubai: A chef has been jailed for three years for sexually abusing a seven-year-old girl after luring her to a room under the staircase in a residential building.

The girl had gone 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.

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

Then he lured the child to the staircase room and abused her.

The suspect is then believed to have asked the girl to not tell anyone about what had happened but the scared girl rushed back home and informed her father.

Police were called in and, upon checking surveillance cameras in the building, the defendant, an Egyptian, was identified and apprehended within an hour.

The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the defendant of confining the Jordanian girl in the room and abusing her sexually.

The accused pleaded not guilty in court.

According to the primary ruling, the defendant will be deported after serving his jail term.

The girl’s father testified that 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 scared and confused. She told me something bad had happened. When I asked her what happened, she told me that the defendant 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 said.

A police sergeant said the accused 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 also admitted that he took her to the staircase room where he abused her sexually,” the sergeant said.

The defendant has appealed the primary ruling and is scheduled to appear before the Appeal Court next month.