ABU DHABI // A father who raped his two daughters kept them quiet by threatening to "slaughter" them, a court heard today.
MA, 36, from Yemen, would regularly beat and molest his two daughters in horrific attacks that began when one of them was just 11, prosecutors told the Criminal Court.
The attacks continued until one particularly brutal assault on February 23 this year which prompted the two girls to tell their mother MA, 40, also from Yemen. The girls told her that they had kept quiet about the attacks because he threatened to "slaughter" them if they told anybody.
The husband denied the allegations, saying that his wife had framed him out of spite.
His lawyer said he had not met his client yet, so the defence case was not ready. The mother has also filed a civil lawsuit claiming compensation, so her lawyer showed the judge proof that they paid the fee for the civil lawsuit and asked for an adjournment to prepare his case.
The judge asked the husband if anyone visited him in prison.
"I have no one here," he replied.
"What about your wife and children?" asked the judge.
The father repeated that nobody had visited him.
"Of course they won't if you did indeed do what [they said]," said the judge.
The judge gave permission to the defence lawyer to meet the father and adjourned the case until April 29.
hdajani@thenational.ae
