Charges of molesting girl are false, says cleaner

Dubai: A cleaner has denied molesting a nine-year-old schoolgirl and accused her father of maliciously complaining against him because he used to snitch on him to his wife.

"His wife asked me to snitch on him and inform her whether he brought any women to their house while she was out ... she wanted me to watch him and tell her the timings when he comes in or goes out of the house," the 30-year-old Bangladeshi suspect told Dubai Court of First Instance yesterday.

The Public Prosecution charged the cleaner, M.S., with molesting the Arab schoolgirl when he groped her in the elevator.

"I am not guilty ... I am very much innocent and didn't commit anything bad. I have known the girl [for] six years, the time I have spent working in that building and all the children there know me and love me. The girl is like my daughter or young sister," M.S. told the judge.

Mother's version

The mother claimed during the Public Prosecution questioning: "I asked the suspect to open the terrace door because my daughter and I wanted to clean a carpet. My daughter went down to use the toilet and the cleaner escorted her because he wanted to bring the water hose ... five minutes later she returned with her face red and shocked. She claimed that the defendant touched her private parts. I was frightened, so I took her ... down to the flat and locked the door. The cleaner knocked on the door several times but I refused to answer the door and didn't answer his calls."

She said she informed her husband who reported the matter to the police.