WhatsApp molester to spend 7 years in jail

Father found out that his former driver was sexually abusing his son only when the latter received a WhatsApp message from the man in front of him.

A driver, who was sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy and was only exposed through a WhatsApp message which was read by chance by the boy's father, was sentenced to 7 years in jail by the Court of First Instance on Thursday.

The boy's father found out that his former driver, a 26-year-old Pakistani, was sexually abusing his son only when the latter received a WhatsApp message from the man in front of him.

The Emirati complainant, who works abroad, told the prosecutors that he came back in September, 2015, to spend the holidays with his family when he realized by chance what had been happening to his son.

"I was with him at the Dubai International Airport when he walked away to receive a phone call. He said it was a friend but I noticed he became embarrassed".

The father took his son's phone which at that moment received a WhatsApp voice message.

"I heard a man who could not speak Arabic well. I checked the phone and saw other such messages from the same sender".

The father learnt from his son that it was the driver they hired for a short time about five months earlier.

The boy told his father that the driver was giving him and his friends rides to malls and wherever they needed, and then sexually abusing him when he remained alone in his car.

The driver filmed the boy nude during the assault and began blackmailing him to keep seeing him or he would circulate the photos among his friends.

"He was seeing my son and other teenagers even though he was not working for me anymore. He would buy them cigarettes and lure them with rides as they were minors. He would then sexually harass my son and he might have done the same to other boys," the father told Al Barsha police when he reported the accused.

He pointed out that his son did not fully confide to him and to his mother about what the driver did to him until they told him he would be examined by a forensic expert.

"He became worried when he heard about the examination. He told us that the accused had been threatening him with his nude photos.

He said the man used to come to our house and push him to go out with him under threats of exposing him".

The forensic report showed the boy was sexually assaulted.

Audio and visual recordings taken from the defendant's mobile phone were used as evidence in the case.

The driver, who may appeal the verdict, has been found guilty of charges including sexual assault, making criminal threats and blackmail and has been sentenced to be deported.

Khaleej Times