DUBAI // A drunk man tried to drown a child in the sea after molesting him, Dubai Criminal Court heard on Thursday.
Pakistani driver S J, 31, was charged with sexually assaulting 10-year-old K K and with endangering the boy’s life by pushing his head under the water for about five minutes.
The Indian boy’s father told prosecutors that on the day of the incident in June last year, his family was at Jumeirah Open Beach. At about 7.30pm, the father saw a crowd surrounding his wife, who was shouting.
“I was walking on the shore when I saw the crowd and my wife really angry. I went there and some men were restraining the defendant and saying he did something to my son,” said M M, 39.
He asked his son what had happened and he said the man had molested him while swimming and tried to drown him.
The father called police.
The boy’s mother testified that she saw the defendant approach her son in the sea and pull him by force.
“He grabbed my son’s right hand and ... stuck his body to K K’s body from the back,” said LN, 35.
The mother started screaming at the defendant, but he did not notice her for about three to five minutes, she said.
The driver continued touching her son and pushing him under the water, she added.
“I swam towards them and pushed him away from my son, then some men who heard my screams caught him when he tried to escape,” she said.
The boy told prosecutors that S J went near him and asked if he wanted to play, and when he said no, S J attacked him.
The boy said he fought back and kicked the man several times as the defendant tried to remove the boy’s swimming shorts. Police arrived at the scene and arrested S J, who was drunk. The driver was not in court when the charges of sexual assault, endangering the life of a person and consuming alcohol without a licence were read out. The next hearing is on February 1.
salamir@thenational.ae
