DUBAI // A father who accuses his former wife of abducting their four-year-old son said she was making defamatory statements about Dubai and its legal system to the press in her home country.
The father, 38, a French expatriate aviation engineer, was told by the court of misdemeanours on Tuesday that such an allegation was irrelevant.
The man says his British ex-wife, 46, abducted their child on March 9, 2012, after failing to bring the boy to an agreed meeting at Safa Park in Dubai.
The couple divorced in 2011, and the man said his ex-wife had been living at the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children’s shelter.
When she failed to turn up for the Safa Park meeting, “I texted her several times but she did not answer, then I tried calling her but her mobile was switched off”, he told police.
The father was awarded full custody of his son by Dubai Sharia Courts in August 2012. His ex-wife “did not execute the verdict then changed her residence and disappeared with the boy”, he said.
He continued to search for his son and in October last year he was tipped off that his ex-wife was living at Jumeirah Beach Residence. He went there and saw his his son with a nanny in a private park.
He told the nanny he was the boy’s father, and “the nanny told me she would call her madam”, he said.
The ex-wife denies abducting her son. She says she failed to appear for the Safa Park meeting because she was afraid.
“I did not kidnap my son. But after one of our court hearings, my ex-husband threatened to kill me if I didn’t give him the boy so I got scared and stayed away,” she said.
The court had been due to hear evidence from two witnesses requested by the ex-wife, but they were turned away because they did not have their identity cards.
A verdict is expected on Thursday.
salamir@thenational.ae
