Egypt: Man alleged to have committed sex assaults against minors to go on trial

Cairo: Egypt’s chief prosecutor has ordered a coach at a local sports club to stand trial at a criminal court on charges of sexually assaulting three underage girls using force and threats, legal sources said today in the latest such case brought to justice in the country.

The case was investigated in response to a legal complaint filed by the state National Council for Women to the public prosecution that a squash coach had sexually abused the three girls.

The alleged victims were initially disinclined to report the assaults for fear of social stigma, but later came forward after the same man became notorious on social media over purported offences.

The accused admitted in investigations to have assaulted one girl more than once, but denied abusing the others. The prosecution said in a statement that police’s investigations proved his assaults on the three girls “taking advantage of their weakness and young age”. No date has been set for the start of the trial.

The case comes as Egyptian authorities are investigating another high-profile case related to an alleged gang rape of a girl inside a luxury hotel in Cairo more than six years ago.

In a separate case, a young Egyptian is set to stand a criminal trial on charges of sexually assaulting and blackmailing three underage girls. The defendant has recently been at the centre of online accusations of alleged mass sex assaults, triggering an outcry in the country.