School bus driver jailed for relations with girl, 12

DUBAI// A Pakistani school bus driver was sentenced to 10 years in jail yesterday for unlawful sexual intercourse with a 12-year-old girl. The 30-year-old man, identified as TS, was caught after the girl sneaked out of her house late one April night. According to prosecutors, the driver had been meeting the girl regularly for four months. "I got up at 3am and my daughter was not in the house." the father testified. "I thought she was going to put out the rubbish, so I went to look for her."

When he went outside, he saw her approaching from an area where a school bus had just been parked. The girl gave evidence that her father beat her to find out what she had been doing. Her father then dragged her to the Ghusais police station near their home and reported the crime. The girl told prosecutors she met the driver in January, grew attached to him and told him she loved him. After he was dismissed from his job for apparently unrelated reasons, the pair kept in touch and met again on Valentine's Day, when he gave her a pendant and a watch.

The girl said they eventually started meeting two or three times a week. In May, a medical examination showed the girl was not a virgin, but that there was no evidence of recent sexual activity. The Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance also ordered TS to be deported after he has served his sentence. [e-mail]