DUBAI // An unemployed man has been charged with sexually abusing his nephew's son, a 17-year-old with Down syndrome. The defendant had been living with the family for four years when the incident occurred on the night of April 13 this year. Defendant AH, a Comoros Islands passport holder, was drunk at the time, prosecutors told the Dubai Criminal Court. "I went into the majlis to check on my son who suffers from Down syndrome, and I fainted as I saw AH on top of him," said ZA, the victim's 35-year-old mother. She said her son was on his stomach with his kandura lifted up. When she screamed, she said, the defendant ran away and she fainted. ZA's husband ran to the majlis when he heard her screams but he did not witness the incident or see his uncle fleeing. "My daughter called police who came to the house and wrote down all the details. Then, two days later, we were informed they arrested AH," said the mother. In court today the defendant, who is facing a forceful sex assault charge as well as a charge for the illegal consumption of alcohol, was unable to understand Arabic and a Farsi translator was requested for the next hearing on July 2.
