DUBAI // A stalker followed a 13-year-old girl and showed her pornographic images before trying to molest her, a court heard this week.
WK, 27, a driver from Pakistan, approached the girl as she returned to her apartment building in International City after school. He followed her into the stairwell and grabbed her before showing her images of a naked woman. The girl broke free and ran to the safety of her apartment.
Prosecutors told the Misdemeanours Court the incident took place on January 18, 2011.
"When she returned home I opened the door for her and she looked shocked," recalled the girl's aunt SF, 29, from Syria. "I asked her what was wrong but she said nothing at first. When I calmed her down she told me that a strange man followed her and tried to molest her."
She said her cousin ran outside and chased the man but he escaped.
The girl told prosecutors she took the stairs to her apartment because the building's lift was out of service. She sensed someone following her and when she turned round the defendant grabbed her and showed her the pictures.
In court the man denied a charge of breaching a female's modesty. The man, who lives in the same neighbourhood as the girl, said he was in Umm Al Quwain at the time of the alleged incident.
A verdict was scheduled for May 28.
salamir@thenational.ae
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
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Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
