Student in UAE jailed for illicit sex with male, cleared of sodomy bid on another

A 20-year-old male student has been sentenced to six months in jail on the charge of having illicit consensual sex with a boy.
The Court of First Instance cleared him of the charge of attempted sexual assault and sodomy bid on another student.
The Court of First Instance earlier heard that the student, a GCC national, lured the two male students on two separate occasions to a sandy yard in Al Warqa where he sexually assaulted both and tried to rape one of them. But he could not as the victim resisted him and managed to escape on his bike.
The incident took place on February 22. It was reported at Al Rashidiya police station.
The first boy said that the other victim is his friend while he did not know the defendant prior to the case. "I live next to the other victim's villa. The defendant used to visit a nearby park in our area."
He added that on February 22, he was with his friend in that park. "It was around 7pm. My friend ran away when he spotted the accused. I was told by the latter to walk with him when I responded to his conversation. He took me outside the park to a sandy location.
While walking, he told him he would be my new friend, give me amounts of money, defend me and bring me girls." However, the accused suddenly threatened him with a stick and made him perform a sexual act on him, the victim told the investigator.
He then took him to a grocery and bought him a bottle of water. 
When joining his friend back near their houses, the victim was told to call the police.
The other victim told the investigator a similar account of how the accused tried to rape him. "I don't know him but I would spot him in that park." He was also made to perform a sexual act on the defendant in an area away from sight. "My friend told me that the defendant filmed him," he recounted, adding that he did not report the incident earlier because he felt worried about his father's sentiments. "We called the police to put an end to what the defendant was doing."
WhatsApp conversations between the accused and his friends (between 8.15pm and 8.29pm) were found on his mobile phone. His friends were advising him not to go to the park as "the youngsters came back there with their fathers and the police". 
The court ruling has been appealed.
mary@khaleejtimes.com