Man denies touching boy, 13, inappropriately in father’s Dubai shop

Iranian says he was trying to calm the teenager, who was insulting him, but the father he said he saw with his own eyes what happened, Dubai court hears.

DUBAI // An Iranian man denied molesting a 13-year-old boy at his father’s shop during Ramadan last year.

On June 12 last year at the Bur Dubai spare parts shop owned by the father, who is also Iranian, the defendant, 33, waited until the father went to prepare some tea after he broke his fast then molested the child, prosecutors at Dubai Criminal Court allege.

“When my father went to get some tea, he touched my behind and my father noticed that and immediately called police,” said the boy, who said that he had been feeling confused and scared since it happened.

The 42-year-old father testified that he saw with his own eyes what the man had done to his son. “I haven’t been sleeping since then, neither does my son,” he said.

In court on Tuesday morning, the defendant denied a sexual assault charge and said that he only placed his hand on the boy’s back.

“He was insulting [me] using inappropriate words so I put my hand on his back to calm him down,” the defendant said.

A verdict is expected on January 11, next year.