DUBAI // A Quran teacher who sexually assaulted a five-year-old girl has had his appeal against his conviction and five-year prison sentence rejected.
The teacher, AM, a 22-year-old Indian, attacked the girl on January 20 in front of her older sister. He was convicted in May by the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance, and on Sunday his appeal was rejected by Judge Eisa al Sharief, chief justice of the Dubai Court of Appeal.
The original trial heard that AM, who is also a telephone operator, provided private Quran lessons to the young girl's family six days a week for half an hour between the Maghrib and Isha prayers.
The girl's mother saw evidence of the assault on her daughter's clothes and questioned her. "She came to me at 7pm and was afraid," the mother said. "She told me what happened and her sister, who was there, confirmed what happened. I then called her father and police."
Forensic reports attached to the prosecutor's case file say the child was not physically harmed, and that DNA samples from the teacher and from the child's clothing proved he committed the assault. Prosecutors told the court he admitted that he knew how old the girl was, and that he sexually assaulted her.
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
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