DUBAI // A father has been spared criminal charges after accidentally leaving his three-year-old son locked in a car for more than four hours at the peak of summer.
The 33-year-old, whose nationality was not in court files, had driven his wife and their son to his sister’s home to celebrate Eid Al Fitr last August.
Once they arrived and went inside, both the husband and wife thought the boy was with the other parent. It was only four hours later that the wife asked about their son. After realising he was not in the house they rushed outside to their car.
Temperatures inside the vehicle had reached 77 degrees Celsius. The boy was found unconscious on the back seat suffering from breathing difficulties and sunstroke.
The father called for an ambulance and the child was taken to Latifa Hospital where he spent 15 days in intensive care. The father was referred to the public prosecution for negligence and posing a risk to the child’s life.
Prosecutors decided not to file charges against the father taking into consideration his emotional state and lack of criminal intent.
“The man doesn’t have a criminal record and being the victim’s father we didn’t want to weaken this relationship by filing charges, in addition the child fully recovered,” Chief Prosecutor Eisah Mohammed Sabt said.
Last year Dubai police dealt with 119 cases of children being locked in cars while 31 youngsters have been rescued from their parents’ vehicles so far this year.
salamir@thenational.ae
