Man faces jail for a year for kissing 11-year-old girl

A worker faces one-year imprisonment for molesting an 11-year-old schoolgirl although he defended in court that he didn't molest her but kissed her because she reminded him of his dead daughter.

The Dubai Court of First Instance yesterday convicted the 33-year-old Indian worker, R.M, of molesting the girl by hugging and kissing her against her will.

"The accused will be deported following the completion of his jail term," said Presiding Judge Mohammad Jamal Kamel in courtroom nine yesterday.

When the defendant appeared in court he pleaded not guilty and strongly refuted the charge of molesting the schoolgirl.

"I had an 11-year-old daughter who passed away when she was sick. When I saw the claimant I remembered my daughter… so I kissed her cheeks. I didn't molest her," argued R.M. when he defended himself in court.

Prosecution records said police arrested the accused after he left his mobile number on a love letter that he put in the girl's pencil case. According to the charge sheet, prosecutors said R.M. molested the schoolgirl, R.J, by dragging her towards him and hugging her against her will then kissing her cheeks and lips. "That's untrue. I did not kiss her lips… I only kissed her like a father," R.M. defended.

The girl's mother said her daughter had called her after getting off the school bus. She said: "I told her to take the stairs. Ten minutes later when she called me, she was crying. She said a person chased her and told her that he loved her. Then he hugged and kissed her," she said.

The judgment is subject to appeal within 15 days.