Dubai // Four young men were found guilty on Sunday of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy.
A A, 21, was sentenced to three years in jail while his three accomplices, S M, 18, A M, 19 and M B, 20, were sentenced to two years in jail each.
The four Emiratis were acquitted of kidnap and issuing threats.
The victim was approached by A A in the playground, “He gave me a fake name and said he was a friend of my cousin, then told me to walk with him near a dark area where he grabbed me from behind. When I tried to escape, he threatened to kill me and my family if I told anyone about what happened,” he said.
At around 10pm that night, A A called the victim and asked to meet him and threatened to kill him if he did not show up.
“I met him near a school where he was with A B in a white car, A B had a knife on him and threatened me with it, they took me to a near by telecommunications building. Then AA and AB took turns raping me,” he said.
A fortnight later, A A threatened the victim again, then took him to the same location, where he, A B, A M and M B raped him.
The victim’s father told police that in May 2013, he noticed that his son was having problems sitting down in the prayer hall. When he asked what was wrong, the son said he was raped by four men. The father went with his son to the scene of the crime and then called police.
“My son now has psychological problems, he is sitting alone more often and screaming and hitting his brothers. He is undergoing psychological treatment in a clinic,” said the father.
Emirati Policeman M A 38, said that they apprehended the four defendants who confirmed during questioning that they had consensual sex with the boy.
At Dubai Criminal Court last May, the four denied all charges but this morning were convicted with sexual assault.
salamir@thenational.ae