Fujairah: The Fujairah Appeals Court fined an Emirati man Dh1,100 for assaulting his 11-year-old son and causing injuries to him, after the victim’s mother confirmed the assault on her son in two videos.
The boy’s mother, who is in her 30s and has worked in UAE military forces, lodged a complaint with police, stating that her son was beaten by his father [who has worked with police] frequently. She confirmed that the accused does not live with them in the house, as she was divorced from him some time ago.
According to the investigations of the Public Prosecution, the mother of the boy said that the accused hit her son severely on his face, neck and shoulder, with his hand. He had scratches and redness in both cheeks and right forearm. The injuries were confirmed through medical examination.
The boy was asked for his statement to verify the accuracy of the information. The police report showed marks around the neck, face and arms, after which the case was moved to the court.
He said: “My father assaulted me severely because of a disagreement between me and my little sister, as he slapped me several times on the face and shoulder,” affirming that the accused repeatedly assaulted him and his sister.
The father's defence
The father told the court that he did not want to hurt his son. He also told the judge that he loved his son and wanted to discipline him. He denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.
He said in his statement: “I received a call from my younger daughter telling me that her elder brother had beaten her, so I went home and calmed her down, and I did not assault the victim [his son],” indicating that there are differences between him and his former wife since their divorce.
The court was shown two video clips, proving that the accused had assaulted his son. He admitted that he was among the people appearing in the two videos, but these videos were recorded a month prior to the most recent complaint.
The Fujairah Court of First Instance sentenced the accused to pay fine Dh1,200 and jailed for one month based on Article No. 212 of the Federal Criminal Law. However, the court ordered the suspension of the imprisonment, as per Article 83 and 84 of the UAE federal punitive law.
The defendant moved the Fujairah Court of Appeal, which ordered the man to pay Dh1,100 fine, but dismissed the one-month suspended jail term.
