After the verdict: A tale of two mothers

Two mothers, caught on either side of the case, said the scars left by the incident on their families will be life-long.

Veronique Robert, the mother of the victim, Alexandre, said she is now afraid for her son. "He [Alexandre] told his psychiatrist at his Swiss treatment centre that he would commit suicide if he was diagnosed HIV positive," Robert told XPRESS.

The results of the HIV test done on Alexandre will be known by January 15.

The ordeal has broken her spirit. "I consider myself a strong person," said Robert, a seasoned war correspondent who covered conflicts in Lebanon in 1985, Iraq, Sarajevo and Somalia for French TV channel Canal Plus. "But four months after the incident took place, my family is still distraught. Henry [Alexandre's father] is completely destroyed," she added.

Alexandre's 23-year-old elder brother "doesn't even know whether he will be able to sit for his college finals in Switzerland this year due to the stress of the ordeal", she added. "For me, I personally loved Dubai and it was just like Switzerland. Such a thing can happen anywhere," she said.

According to Robert, she did not resort to international media for the first three months of the investigations.

"Alexandre was accused of being a homosexual. This was later rebuffed by a court-appointed expert who re-examined him," she said, and added, "I don't want what happened to Alexandre and my family to happen to anyone."

She also stressed that specialists, such as psychologists or therapists, must be involved in treating victims, "which can help save lives of many victims".

Life-long Scar

Meanwhile Laila, the distressed mother of Ebrahim K. (one of the accused), also spoke for her son.

With tears running down her cheeks, Laila told XPRESS at their modest house in Satwa that her son, who comes from a brood of nine boys and three girls, is mild in nature. "He doesn't go out often, and wherever he goes he always informs me," she said. She believes her son is innocent.

But that belief doesn't stop her feeling sympathy for Veronique.

"Just as her heart aches for her son we are also hurting here. It has been very difficult for us. I'm a mother too – I feel for her and I feel for my son."

Laila said Ebrahim was a student at the Bilal Bin Rabah Public School in Dubai but dropped out in order to work and support the family.

A day before the verdict, Fahd, one of Ebrahim's elder brothers, said, "He is innocent." He added that Ebrahim was a good friend of the third defendant (who is being tried in juvenile court), and was a regular visitor at the Jumeirah Beach Centre's internet café, from where Alexandre and his friends were picked up.

"We all used to go to the Beach Centre and play online games," said 18-year-old Omar S., one of Ebrahim's friends. "We all knew Alexandre," he said, adding that the French boy was a good friend of the third defendant.

According to Omar and Fahd, Alexandre and his friend were regulars at the café. "Alexandre always used to hang around with us and even visited the house of the third defendant a couple of times," said Omar. "There was no kidnapping," added Fahd. "He went voluntarily," he said, adding that Abu Bakr K. was an acquaintance from the neighbourhood. "He lives 100 metres down the road from us."

Ebrahim K.'s sisters said Abu Bakr used to repeatedly come to their house for Ebrahim. "Bakro [Abu Bakr] knocked on the windows and air-conditioning unit to grab Ebrahim's attention, but Ebrahim would always ask us to tell Bakro that he was not there."

Marwan, Ebrahim K.'s eldest brother, questioned Robert's use of the media against them. "My brother is innocent. But this story has been plastered all over the Net and newspapers."

Verdict: 15-year jail term for rapists

The Dubai Criminal Courts yesterday sentenced two Emiratis, Abu Bakr K., 36, who is HIV-positive, and Ebrahim K., 18, to 15 years in jail after they were found guilty of kidnapping, threatening and sodomising 15-year-old French boy Alexandre on July 14 this year.

The judgment was handed down amidst heavy media presence at Chamber 4 of the Dubai Criminal Courts by Judge Fahmi Mounir Fahmi.

Hussain Al Jazeri, the French family's legal counsel, stated that the verdict on Abu Bakr K. will be appealed. "This case is not over yet, we will appeal the ruling and try to get the maximum punishment," he said outside the Dubai Criminal Courts yesterday.

The defendants' families were also present in the court. Salim K., the second defendant's brother, and Abu Bakr's brother and friends stated that they will appeal the ruling.

"My brother is innocent, and there is proof. We will appeal this ruling," said Salim. "This judgment is not from this court. It is a foreign-influenced judgment. I am ready to say this to everyone," he told XPRESS. Salim expressed desperation over the trial's financial cost to the family, having been asked to pay Dh80,000 as lawyer's fees. "We do not know how we will raise the money for the appeal," he added.

Timeline

• July 14: After spending the day at the beach, Alexandre and his friend proceeded to the Jumeirah Beach Centre where they met the third defendant, who asked them to join him and his friends (Abu Bakr K. and Ebrahim K.) to drop them off at home. The trio took the boys to a remote location and assaulted Alexandre after which he was dropped off at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. Alexandre reports the incident to police. He was interrogated for six hours.
• July 15: Veronique Robert, Alexandre's mother, asks French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner to assist and intervene. A forensic doctor, after a medical test, states victim is a homosexual. Suspects arrested after a cousin's plate number is handed over to the police.
• July 16: Third defendant is arrested. French mother arrives in Dubai. Blood test requested by French Embassy.
• July 17: Prosecution statement in court.
• July 24: Alexandre leaves Dubai.
• August 2: Dubai police inform French Consul that Alexandre's HIV test is negative.
• September 15: Abu Bakr K. confirmed HIV positive.
• October 24: First hearing, no guilty plea entered. Juvenile court: the third defendant pleads guilty.
• October 31: French boy testifies.
• November 10: Cousin of suspect testifies.
• November 28: Judge throws victim's mother, Veronique, out of court following an outburst during the closing statement of the defendants' lawyer.
• December 12: Accused found guilty of kidnapping, threatening and sodomising the French boy; 15-year jail terms handed down.

How come Abu Bakr was not charged with attempted murder since he has HIV? Aren't they supposed to test each of them psychologically also?
And this 15 years is only for rape? What about kidnapping and assault? Aren't these crimes that need punishment? I think this case needs a more proper investigation.
Anonymous, UAE - Dubai
Posted: December 13, 2007, 13:05