Khaleej Times

Driver jailed for molesting eight-year-old girl at office

- Marie Nammour mary@khaleejtim­es.com

dubai — A truck driver, who sexually abused an eight-year-old girl after he was left alone with her at an office, has been sentenced to one year in jail.

The 35-year-old Bangladesh­i was accused of groping, kissing and hugging the girl. He exposed himself in front of the girl and also made her touch him. He denied the charge earlier in the Court of First Instance, saying the girl was like his daughter. The court found him guilty of the charge and ordered his deportatio­n after serving his jail time.

The incident took place on December 5, 2017, in the Naif area. The girl’s mother, a 38-year-old from Singapore, said that her daughter recounted the incident to her at 10.15pm.

“My girl said that while she was at our imports and exports company’s office on Bani Yas Street, she was left alone with the defendant after the female owner had gone to bring lunch. The accused then seized the opportunit­y to grope and hug her. He also kissed her on the cheeks and neck,” the mother told the prosecutor.

“My little girl walked away from him to the kitchen but he followed her and exposed himself to her and made her touch him. He stood very close in a way to touch her body and then left after he got a phone call.”

The mother filed a complaint with the Naif police station at 11pm. “She was crying and looked agitated then. She told us how the defendant, who worked as a driver at the company, sexually harassed her daughter,” a policeman said.

The officer calmed the mother down and then took the girl inside a room for kids where he questioned her about the incident as she played. “The girl described spontaneou­sly and innocently what happened as she played with toys. We learned from the girl the driver also clicked pictures of them together.”

The police summoned the accused to the company shortly later where he confessed to the charge.

The driver’s two mobile phones were seized and his pictures with the girl were found stored in one phone in addition to several photos of her alone.

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