Dubai: A private Quran teacher told a court on Sunday that his ex-pupil, 15, falsely accused him of molestation after he beat her over poor performance in lessons.
The 15-year-old Indian schoolgirl had been taking private home lessons in June with the 40-year-old Bangladeshi teacher, who taught her how to read and recite the Quran.
According to court records, the teenager complained to her father that the teacher molested her during a lesson. After he was apprehended by the police following the father’s complaint, the suspect was accused by prosecutors. “I did not molest her. I used to give her private lessons at home and beat her once over her poor performance. That is when she alleged that I molested her,” the suspect argued, pleading not guilty before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Sunday.
The 40-year-old refuted the accusation and contended that the claim was fabricated, before presiding judge Fahd Al Shamsi.
The teenaged pupil told prosecutors that the accused took hour-long classes at her home. “He had been touching my thigh and hand and putting his leg over mine, claiming that I had not been paying attention while he taught. On a Sunday evening, he took me by surprise and kissed my cheeks, very close to my lips. He then told me ‘this is a friendly kiss and not a fatherly one’. I moved away from him and he apologised for what he had done, asking me not to tell anyone about it. I informed my mother after he left our place. She told my father, who reported the matter to the police. He repeated that dirty behaviour five times. At first, I was afraid to tell my parents about what had happened,” the 15-year-old testified.
The presiding judge will hand out a judgement on August 12.
