DUBAI // A grocery shop delivery man sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl in the corridor of her apartment building, a court heard today.
Prosecutors told the Criminal Court that SHM, 25, from Bangladesh, met the girl at about 7pm on September 11 while he was delivering some items to her family.
The girl was on her way back from the building's swimming pool to her family's apartment when she ran into the delivery man.
"When I reached my floor I bumped into him as he was standing in front of the lift," said the girl. "As I was walking towards my flat I heard him say that he had delivered the items but I ignored him and continued walking."
She said the man then asked her to wait. She looked back at him briefly before continuing to walk away.
"Suddenly I was shocked to find him grab my right hand, pull me towards him, kiss my cheeks and hug me," she said.
The man then told her they could "start a relationship".
"I told him 'no - I have to go back to my flat because my mother is waiting for me'," said the girl. She tried to remove her hand from his grip but could not.
"He hugged me and kissed me on my cheeks once again before I could escape his grip and run home," the girl added.
The girl told her mother about the incident and she reported the matter to police. The girl identified the delivery man to officers and he was arrested.
In court he was charged with sexual assault. He admitted to the judge that he kissed the girl, but claimed he did so with her consent.
The next hearing was scheduled for December 27.
wissa@thenational.ae
