5.51 PM Friday, 29 March 2024
  • City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
  • Dubai 04:56 06:10 12:26 15:53 18:37 19:52
29 March 2024

Prosecution appeals against acquittal of Imam

Accused are tailors who abused the boy on separate ocassions. (FILE)

Published
By Eman Al Baik

The Dubai Prosecution has appealed the acquittal of an Imam accused of sexual assault of an 8-year-old boy.

The Court of Appeal had overturned a three-year jail term awarded by the Court of First Instance to the 26-year-old Indian man, ZH, who sexually exploited a boy whom he taught Quran.

The Dubai Prosecution on Tuesday referred the case to the Court of Cassation. A date of hearing is yet to be fixed.

In its acquittal of the Imam, the Court of Appeal had on August 29 observed the lack of evidence to prove a sexual assault while the charges where based on the allegations that the man hugged and kissed the boy on his forehead.

The court had said kissing a student is a gesture of encouragement and not sexual advance.

In the complaint that led to the arrest and prosecution of the Imam, the boy's father had earlier accused him of taking advantage of his absence to sexually assault his son.

As reported earlier, the incident happened when the father who owns a cargo company was in the US. On receiving a phone call informing him about the incident, he had asked his sons to stop taking Quran classes with the Imam who was paid a monthly fee of Dh600.

As a piece of evidence, the victim’s brother had shot a picture of the boy's reddened cheek.

Insisting on the innocence of his client, defence lawyer Haroon Tahlak said he had suspected the authenticity of the claims and charges.
He said the child's mother, who used to take the boy and his brother to the Quran classes was never questioned by the police and prosecution.

According to his arguments laid before the court, Tahlak said the boy made the charges against the teacher since he didn't want to attend the classes. He also accused the boy's father of not wanting his son to learn Quran.

It was the mother who wanted them to learn Quran, the lawyer said in his arguments.

He also found incoherence in the fact that the boy sought the help of his father who was overseas, when he was allegedly assaulted by the teacher, and not the mother who was at home.