Student jailed 6 months for molesting schoolgirl

A 19-year-old student has had his imprisonment reduced from one-year to six months for molesting a 16-year-old schoolgirl in his house after he promised to give her his pet dog. The Dubai Appeal Court yesterday convicted the 19-year-old Emirati, A.M., of sexually molesting the Kuwaiti schoolgirl after he tricked and lured her into his house. "The court has reduced the primary judgment to six months in jail," said Presiding Judge Eisa al Sharif in courtroom 20 on Sunday. When the accused appeared in court, he pleaded not guilty claiming: "I am innocent. I did not deceive her and that did not happen." Prosecutors said A.M. and his compatriot juvenile were prosecuted before the Juveniles Court] enticed 16-year-old F.F. that they will give her the pet dog before they lured her to A.M.'s villa and molested her. The schoolgirl said she went with them to the house after the juvenile defendant, only identified as R., claimed that they will give her a pet dog. "I went to A.M.'s villa to take the dog. They forced me out of the car then into a side room. R. molested me first. He kissed and hugged me against my will. I failed to push him away. A.M. came and asked me to undress because he wanted to have sex with me. When I refused, he threatened to beat me… he grabbed me forcefully and pushed me down to the floor. Then he molested me," F.F. claimed to prosecutors. An Emirati police first corporal said A.M. was arrested first. "He admitted that R. lured the schoolgirl while chatting with her over the Internet. A.M. claimed that she agreed to accompany them to take the dog… he also claimed that she agreed to take the dog against having sex." R. confessed during questioning that he chatted with F.F. over the internet to convince her to meet them and take the dog. According to R.'s confession, F.F. was not aware that they intended to have sex with her. The girl reported the matter to the police after she ran away from A.M.'s place. Sunday's judgment remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 30 days.