DUBAI // A 23-year-old soldier who claimed he was mentally ill in an attempt to avoid prosecution for sexually assaulting a teenage girl was jailed for a year yesterday.
The criminal court heard that K A, an Emirati, was introduced to the 13-year-old girl by his cousin.
After he continually phoned her for two weeks, she agreed to meet him in person.
They met in his car at Mirdif City Centre Mall at 11pm on October 4 last year, and they kissed.
After agreeing to meet the next day, the soldier picked the girl up near a beauty salon in the Al Qarqaa area.
They then went to a hotel room, where he assaulted her.
The next day, after he had gone to work, she called her uncle to come and take her home. When he heard what had happened, he took the girl to a police station.
Prosecutors said K A admitted a charge of sexual assault during interrogation.
During a hearing in January, the soldier’s lawyer had claimed his client suffered from mental illness. However, he failed to produce any official documents to support this claim.
salamir@thenational.ae
