Man accused of kissing boy at beach

Dubai A jobless man has been accused of kissing a three-year-old boy while his babysitter was walking him at the beachside of Jumeirah.

The 49-year-old Sri Lankan man, M.J., was said to have kissed the boy in an indecent manner while his Filipina babysitter was escorting him at the beach in Jumeirah in April.

The suspect entered a not guilty plea when he showed up before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Thursday.

“Did you kiss the boy against his will?” presiding judge Ezzat Abdul Lat asked the suspect.

“I am not guilty… I do not remember because I was drunk on the day when the incident happened,” replied M.J. in courtroom three.

The 40-year-old Filipina claimed to prosecutors that she was accompanying her sponsor’s child when the alleged incident happened at 6pm.

“The defendant approached us and asked the boy ‘how are you?’ When he spoke, a stinky smell of liquor came out from him. Obviously he was drunk. Then he asked the boy to go to him and when he did, the suspect kissed him on his lips. I was irritated by his unacceptable behaviour… and when I asked him why kissed the boy, he cursed me and cursed Filipinos. Thereafter I called the police and when the came, I told them that the kiss was an indecent one,” testified the babysitter.

A Filipina maid, who was present at the time when the incident happened, testified to prosecutors: “I was present with the babysitter when the defendant came. He sat in front of the boy, who was playing with the sand… he kissed the boy on his lips. He also gave the boy a flower.”

Meanwhile a policeman claimed to prosecutors that the incident happened at the open beachside of Jumeirah 1.

“The babysitter claimed that the suspect was drunk and kissed the boy in a suspicious way… he also cursed her. When I questioned M.J., he admitted that he kissed the boy but in an innocent manner. He said he did not mean any harm,” he testified.