DUBAI // Prosecutors have failed in their bid to have a harsher sentence handed down to an unlicensed nanny convicted of causing the death of a two-year-old girl in her care.
The 31-year-old from Pakistan was given a suspended one-year jail term by the Dubai Criminal Court after the child died from internal bleeding and head injuries suffered in a fall from a couch.
The nanny had advertised her services online and was contacted by the child’s mother who was looking for a nursery to care for her daughter while she was at work.
The 22-year-old from Morocco visited the nanny’s apartment and found other children already in her care.
“The apartment was prepared and other children were in her care already,” said the mother, who agreed to leave her daughter with the nanny from 7am to 3pm for Dh650.
The mother said she only sent her daughter there twice - on July 9 last year and on the day of the incident on July 12.
On that day the nanny sent the mother pictures of her child on Whatsapp to keep her mind at ease. However, just before 3pm she received several calls from the nanny.
“She told me that my daughter was not well,” said the mother, adding that when she got to the apartment she found her child was having trouble breathing and could barely open her eyes.
“I tried to breast feed her but she would not, then she said ‘mummy’ and that’s it,” said the mother, who rushed her daughter to a nearby clinic with her husband.
Staff called for an ambulance to take her to Latifa Hospital where she was admitted to intensive care. Her condition worsened and the girl died the following day.
Doctors informed the mother and her Pakistani husband, 32, that their daughter had died due a haemorrhage caused by a fall as two bruises were found on her forehead and the bottom of her head.
The nanny told the parents their child had fallen off a couch and landed on her head when she went to the kitchen to get some water.
In court last February, the nanny denied a charge of causing the death of a child by failing to provide proper care.
She was convicted and given a suspended sentence and ordered to pay a Dh200,000 in blood money to the family. The sentence was upheld by the Dubai Court of Appeal.
salamir@thenational.ae
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
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