Dubai football coach accused of cyber-blackmailing boy

Dubai:  Parents are advised to keep an eye on their children while using social media platforms to safeguard them against cyber-blackmailers, a top prosecutor warned on Sunday.  

Fathers and mothers are advised to frequently exert moderate parental guidance while their children are using social media in order not to push them to go somewhere beyond their control and end up being victimised by cyber-criminals, said Prosecutor General Mohammad Ali Rustom, Head of Family and Juveniles Prosecution. 

His warning comes in light of referring a 35-year-old Asian football coach to the Dubai Court of First Instance where he will be tried for blackmailing, molesting and sexually abusing a 15-year-old boy through the use of social media. 

Prosecution records said the coach lured the boy to his car where he coerced the 15-year-old to strip naked and filmed him [still images and video], then used the indecent images for blackmail purposes. The suspect abused him sexually and molested him as well. 

Cyber-blackmail is the act of threatening to share someone’s confidential and private information or material [audios, photos or videos] with others against personal gain and demands or for money. 

“We are cautioning the parents in advance to watch out for their kids’ safety and well-being while using social media in order not to fall victims of cyber-blackmailers. There is no increase in such a crime and it is still marginal … we are sending this warning from the beginning to keep it under control. Any crime starts small, then becomes viral and trendy. We call on parents to monitor their children while using social media in a moderate manner … because if they monitor them strictly, then that might push the children to use social media at places where they are unmonitored and unattended,” Rustom told Gulf News yesterday. 

Cyber-blackmail is a crime that targets children and adults, according to Rustom, who said the Family and Juveniles Prosecution (FJP) of Dubai Public Prosecution recently investigated a few cases in which minors [under 18] were abused and exploited by cyber-blackmailers. 

‘Balanced observation’

When asked whether the dangerousness and severity of such a crime [cyber-blackmail] was behind addressing and warning parents, he explained: “Parents are responsible for the security and welfare of children under the age of 18. Fathers and mothers should practise what we may call a ‘moderate and balanced observation’ while their children are using social media.” 

FJP’s interrogation divulged that the Asian coach, according to Rustom, had also saved images of an indecent nature of other minors and had intended to blackmail and molest them as well. 

Molestation, abuse

FJP prosecutors accused the coach of molesting and sexually abusing the boy, encouraging a minor to have consensual sex with him through the use of social media, accessing pornographic websites and downloading indecent material involving children. 

According to primary interrogations, the coach was the boy’s football trainer and they were friends on Facebook. 

“The suspect used to pick up the 15-year-old and his friends and take them to the football training pitch. The suspect exploited the trust of the boys’ parents in him and used to take them for training. According to witnesses’ statements, the suspect used to film the last boy, who had stayed in his car to drop him home … every time it was a different boy. The suspect would take snaps of boys naked and would later use those indecent images for blackmail purposes … he used to blackmail the minors via social media networks. However, the crime was exposed when the 15-year-old boy informed his parents what had happened,” Rustom said. 

The football coach is scheduled to appear in court soon.