Sentence increased for cleaner who molested boy inside Dubai mosque

Dubai: A cleaner who sexually abused a boy inside a mosque has had his sentence increased from three to five years on appeal.

The incident happened in June of last year when a 31-year-old Bangladeshi lured the seven-year-old to a female praying area of a mosque in the Refaa area of Dubai, turned the lights off, and sexually abused him.

The boy’s 29-year-old mother from Afghanistan said that at 10pm the boy came running to her.

“He told me that the defendant sexually abused him and that he will bring him candy and gifts,” she said. “I was sitting with my son when the defendant came and sat beside us carrying toys and candy. I yelled at him and asked him to leave. He begged me not to alert my husband or the police,” she added.

Dubai Police arrested the defendant who said that he was cleaning when he saw the boy drinking water. he claimed that he had noticed some dirt on the boy’s trousers, so he took them down and this - he confessed - was when he sexually abused him.

The defendant was initially sentenced to three years in jail but now the court of appeal has increased the sentence to five followed by deportation.