UAE: Dubai court adjourns hearing of accused in the French teenager rape case

The trial in the case of a French teenage boy claiming that three United Arab Emirates nationals raped him continues in Dubai, but hearing for the accused minor's defence has been adjourned following reports that the accused had assaulted an inmate in prison. The mother of a French teenager who claims to have been raped by three United Arab Emirates nationals, was at the Dubai Courts on Tuesday (November 27) as the trial for her son continued. The teenager claims that three United Arab Emirates nationals lured him and a friend into their car and gang-raped him at knifepoint in July; one of the accused is a minor. Tuesday's court session was expected to be a hearing for the accused minor's defence, however according to Robert, the hearing was adjourned following reports that the accused minor had assaulted an inmate in prison. This could not be confirmed by the lawyers or the accused minor's family. Veronique Robert, the French boy's mother told Reuters that the 17-year-old had allegedly raped an inmate. ''This morning, they brought in Ibrahim, the minor for the court hearing, and his lawyer requested to the prosecutor that it be adjourned because another case is to be added to the initial one. Ibrahim and another jailed adolescent raped two other United Arab Emirates nationals in jail and so his lawyer requested for a joining of the cases which happens everywhere including France and asked for a psychiatric analysis for his client. The prosecutor did not oppose his request, and neither did we, we have no reason to oppose it. I think it's important to figure out why he (the accused minor) is doing this,'' said Veronique Robert, the French boy's mother. The two other suspects are aged 36 and 18. The trial began on November 7 when the court heard the adolescent's testimony, during which, according to his mother, he spoke about how he had been lured into a car by the three alleged assailants and gang-raped at knife point. The French boy's mother has accused UAE authorities of deliberately not informing the family that one of the suspected rapists tested HIV-positive in 2003, delaying medical attention for her son. The latter's blood test results are expected on Wednesday (November 28). ''He (the French teenager) had his four month blood tests last Saturday (November 25). We will have the results Wednesday (November 28) so we've got our fingers crossed and it's okay. There are days when he's fine and days when he's not doing well at all, when he's got memories that come back to him,'' said Robert. The French teenager, who was authorised to fly back to Switzerland by the UAE authorities, will not be returning to Dubai. His legal responsibilities are now over. The date for the final verdict is, according to the mother expected to be set on Wednesday (November 27) when the courts will be hearing the accused adults' defences.

ITN Source | November 27, 2007

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