UAE- Four prisoners get 10 years for sexual assault on inmate

(MENAFN- Arab News) Four prisoners have each been sentenced to ten additional years in prison for sexually assaulting a younger inmate at Al Aweer Central Prison after threatening to kill him, beating him and burning him with cigarettes. The four prisoners, three Emiratis, identified as A.M., 28, A.I., 24, K.M., 29, and one Bahraini, identified as A.S., 31, were each convicted of charges of forcible sodomy and assault on others' safety. The Court of First Instance ordered that the Bahraini be deported after completing his prison time. The case dates back to November 6 last year. The inmate who was sexually assaulted, a 20-year-old Indian, told the prosecutor that about one month before the incident was reported, the main accused A.M., 28, came to him and told him to follow him to another cell. The cell, where he was taken, was empty with one bed and it had clothes hung all around it to cover it like a curtain. The accused then asked to have sex with him but the young Indian inmate refused. But after A.M. threatened to kill him with a sharp tool, twisted his arm, and punched him on his neck, he succumbed to his demand. After he was done, A.M. told the complainant that from that moment he was 'like his brother and under his protection'. About three days later, A.M. returned to the complainant's cell with another inmate A.I. and asked him to accompany them to the empty cell. The pair then forced themselves on him after thrashing him. Few days later A.M., A.I., and K.M., all asked to have sex with him and when he resisted they burnt his arm with cigarette butts, beat him with a stick and punched him. Even after all the beating, the complainant was not willing to give up and did not want to have sex with them until the accused took the help of the Bahraini inmate A.S., and raped the young Indian. Two hours after the incident the victim reported the incident to the warden. A policeman at the Al Habab Police Station told the prosecution that they received a complaint on November 7 last year about the incident. The police officers could not find traces or leads inside the cell, where the assault took place, which could corroborate the complainant's testimony. The officer quoted the complainant as saying that the accused changed the bed's condition and hid all the clothes which could have their DNA traces. The officer said he saw marks of injury on the complainant's hand and that the latter found it difficult to sit on a chair because of the pain he suffered after the assault. The criminal evidence forensic report confirmed the complainant's allegations. All the defendants have appealed the verdict.