DUBAI // A barber who was found guilty of sexually assaulting a young girl more than once, using cats to lure her into a quiet location, has lost his appeal for a reduced sentence.
The Pakistani defendant, 30, will spend a year in jail for abusing the girl, 9, on May 11, 2015, and at later dates after seeing her playing with a cat near her home in Deira.
The Indian girl said the barber held her hand and told her he was taking her to a place where there were many cats.
“He took me to an under-construction place where there were cats and he was still holding my hand,” she said.
He touched her while she was watching the cats but let her go when her brother, who was playing in the neighbourhood, arrived.
The girl said that three days later, she was outside playing with other children when the man approached and hugged her.
“Then, he disappeared for a while and was not seen in the area,” said the girl, who told her mother.
A few days later her mother saw him standing opposite her building and called police, who arrested him.
The man told prosecutors he had seen the girl but he denied molesting her. He also denied a sexual assault charge in court and asked to be acquitted.
However, he was found guilty and will be deported after serving his jail term.
salamir@thenational.ae
