DUBAI // A man waved a knife at two six-year-olds to scare them into not telling anyone that he had tried to molest one of them.
Indian A A, 26, was on Monday found guilty by the Dubai Criminal Court of sexually assaulting a girl and issuing threats to her and a boy on December 14 last year. He was sentenced to three months in prison.
Records show that the children had just returned from school about 2pm and were greeted by their mothers, who started talking as the children played in the corridor.
Before the mothers realised, the children had disappeared around the corner.
The girl said the defendant tried to kiss her on the lips but missed when she lifted her head up. Her friend tried to protect her and stood in front of the defendant.
“He then got angry and pulled out a knife on us,” said the girl.
The girl’s Indian mother, A S, 32, said: “Five minutes after they started playing, he and my daughter came running and he told me someone pulled out a knife at them.
“My daughter was so scared and said someone tried to kiss her. She was wiping her mouth and saying ‘dirty, dirty’.”
The mother and a security guard found the defendant and asked him about the incident.
“He said he did nothing, but he was scared,” A S said.
The defendant told the court he was earning a living from collecting used cartons at the time.
“While I was busy collecting cartons, the children came and started tearing boxes into pieces,” he said. “I just bent and told the girl to stay away.
“When another kid refused to stop tearing the cartons, I held the knife to scare them.”
He said he had no intention to hurt or assault the children.
“They were damaging my work, Your Honour. I just wanted to scare them off, but I never hurt or kissed the girl and her friend,” he said.
He will be deported after serving his term.
salamir@thenational.ae
