Cairo: An Egyptian criminal court had sentenced a famous male dentist to 16 years in prison on charges of sexually harassing men in a high-profile case.
The dentist, identified by Al Watan newspaper as Bassem Samir, was dubbed in the Egyptian media as the “harassing doctor”.
He was convicted of sexually assaulting four men, including a junior dentist who had worked in his clinic, Al Watan reported, citing the court. The ruling can be appealed.
The case came to public attention last September when legal complaints were lodged with public prosecution against him from several men including some celebrities. The claimants included Egyptian actor Abbas Abul Hassan, who accused the dentist of sexually harassing him and many others over years in his clinic and other places, and inciting them to practise homosexuality.
Abul Hassan, 56, was quoted in the media as saying that exposing the dentist and suing him were important. “Protecting Egypt’s youth from harassment will not take place by withholding victims, but by deterrence, disgracing offenders and enforcing the law,” he said at the time.
The claimants against the dentist said they were encouraged to come forward and report his acts after an online campaign was launched by several women in Egypt last summer, unmasking sexual offences they had purportedly experienced.
