Drunk man jailed for groping school girl at Dubai Metro station

dubai — A construction worker, who groped a 14-year-old school girl at a Metro station, was sentenced to six months in jail by a Dubai court on Wednesday.

Prosecutors accused the 32-year-old Indian man of being drunk when he touched the girl as she was walking at the station.

He denied the molestation charge at the Court of First Instance, claiming he touched her by mistake. The man will be deported after his jail term.

The incident was reported on October 20 last year at the Bur Dubai police station.

A police corporal said he was on duty at 1pm when the ticketing employee approached him. “He had the defendant and the girl with him. He told me that the man molested her.”

The police officer took them to the police point and questioned the defendant there. “He admitted that he sexually harassed her. I informed the on-duty officer and the defendant was then taken to the Bur Dubai police station. The victim was crying while recounting how she was groped as she walked out of a gate. The defendant, who was then under the influence of alcohol, claimed he had no idea why he touched the victim and said she did not provoke him in any way,” the officer told the prosecutor.

During the public prosecution

The defendant, who was then under the influence of alcohol, claimed he had no idea why he touched the victim.”

A police corporal, witness

investigation, the victim said she was busy putting cash in her bag when she was caught off guard by the accused. The teenager said he did it on purpose and he kept walking. She did not yell at him or scream for help as she was shocked and scared. The girl immediately reported him to the ticketing officer. She added that she never saw him prior to the incident and that she had said or done nothing that might have triggered his move.

The victim later identified him in a line-up of suspects at the police station.

A footage taken from the CCTV cameras at the Metro station captured the defendant getting very close to the girl and touching her. The place was not busy at the time. The recording was enclosed to the case file as prosecution evidence.

For the charge of consuming alcohol without a permit, the defendant was fined Dh2,000.

He can appeal the ruling within 15 days starting from the issuance of the verdict.