Dubai resident given suspended sentence for wrongfully causing death of girl in his care

Uzbeki man convicted after court told wheelchair-bound girl with cerebral palsy died of heart failure

The man was convicted at Dubai Criminal Court. The National

A Dubai resident has been given a two-month suspended sentence after being convicted of wrongfully causing the death of a wheelchair-bound girl who was in his care.

Dubai Criminal Court heard that the man, from Uzbekistan, had been taking care of the girl at his home in the Al Muraqabbat area for six years, with the assistance of a maid.

He said a friend from work had asked him to look after the girl, who had cerebral palsy, before disappearing and failing to contact him again.

Court records show that in June the maid noticed the girl had come down with a fever and called an ambulance.

She was transferred to hospital for a medical review but later died. The medical report said she died from heart failure due to complications from cerebral palsy and there were no signs of injuries on her body.

“I was looking after [the girl] who was left [in my care] by my workmate,” said the man, identified in court as F.A.

“He asked me to hire a maid to help me look after her. I don’t know her nationality or the origin or [whereabouts] of her parents. The girl has Arabic features, her face isn’t like other Uzbek girls.”

He said the girl was unable to walk or talk but could hold eye contact and was able to express some emotions through crying and laughing.

“I noticed she understands English, [Farsi] and Russian languages,” he said.

The maid told police that she had run away from a family for whom she was working in Fujairah and arrived in Dubai seeking a new job.

She said she was contacted by the man, who asked her to help him look after the girl.

“I was looking after her for six years,” she said. “One day she had a fever and I called an ambulance.”

She alerted the man and claimed he called Dubai Police and told them that the girl was dead.

He admitted to neglecting to inform the authorities about the girl’s situation before her death.

Dubai Public Prosecution convicted him of wrongfully causing her death by failing to notify the authorities about her situation.

The verdict, which was handed down last Thursday, is subject to appeal within 15 days.

The origin of the girl and the identity of her parents are still unknown, court records show.