ABU DHABI // Four teachers will be called as defence witnesses in an appeal case by a cleaner on death row convicted of raping a schoolgirl.
I K, 56, from India, is in the first stages of his appeal against his conviction for raping the girl, 7, in the kitchen of an Abu Dhabi private school.
Yesterday, during the first appeals hearing, his lawyer Jassem Al Suwaidi told the court he had witnesses that were not heard by the Criminal Court during the cleaner’s original trial.
“They are now present in the courtroom,” he told the court before asking the four female teachers to step forward.
“Do they all speak Arabic?” asked the judge.
The lawyer replied that two of them did, while the other two spoke English.
The cleaner did not attend the hearing.
“We have to adjourn the case so the defendant can attend and listen to the witnesses’ testimonies,” said the judge.
The case was adjourned to November 18.
hdajani@thenational.ae
