DUBAI // A lecture about sexual harassment at a boys’ primary school in Hatta landed the school’s cleaner in court after six second-graders claimed he had molested them.
Dubai Criminal Court heard on Monday that pupils aged 7, 8 and 9 from the school approached a policeman after his lecture about the nature of molestation and told him they had been experiencing similar incidents with the school’s Bangladeshi cleaner.
“We targeted second-graders at the school with the lecture called ‘When to Say No’ and spoke about what to do if one is subjected to molestation,” said Yemeni policeman K A, 38. “At the end of the lecture I opened the door for discussion and that was when three students told me they had been molested by the cleaner, who would open the toilet door on them and touch them.”
The officer informed the school administration after the lecture on May 8 and they spoke with the children. He visited the school toilets and found that each cubicle could be opened with a coin from outside.
The policeman then reported the findings to Hatta police station before returning to the school with a team to investigate.
The children they spoke to said they were not the only victims and told about other boys being molested by the defendant.
“The deputy principal said that one of the teachers at the school had always had suspicions about the cleaner,” testified K A.
The cleaner, H A, 32, was arrested and charged with four counts of molestation. He confessed to the police that he had been touching children, but he said it was a joke.
Prosecutors said that he molested two seven-year-olds, one eight-year-old and three aged nine.
Police obtained approval to collect surveillance footage from the toilets, but then found that the cameras were out of order.
Egyptian teacher M M, 53, told the court that he had seen the cleaner standing suspiciously behind some of the boys and, on one occasion, he saw him touching the bottom of one boy – but was told it was a joke.
“I couldn’t know what his behaviour was about because none of the students complained,” said M M.
The teacher added that about 10 days before the lecture, he saw the cleaner talking to three boys after school hours. “Most of the students had gone but he was there talking to three. I suspected him even more,” the teacher said.
He told the deputy principal of his suspicions, and he said he would place the cleaner under close observation.
Records show that H A molested the pupils in the toilets, hallways and even the school’s play area.
“He confessed to me that the last time he had touched a student was on the same day of the lecture but he said it was a joke and he did not mean to molest them,” testified policeman H J, 31, who was part of the police team in attendance at the school.
“This incident caused anger among Hatta residents, mainly the students’ parents.”
The defendant denied the charges in court and the next hearing will be on October 16.
salamir@thenational.ae
