Abu Dhabi - He befriended him and won the trust of his parents
Published: Tue 24 Oct 2017, 1:23 PM
Updated: Tue 24 Oct 2017, 7:16 PM
The man accused of raping and murdering an 11-year old boy in Abu Dhabi had planned the crime for months while befriending the victim, the court heard on Tuesday during the latest trial.
The murder of the boy was one of the most heinous crimes ever reported from the UAE capital, and the accused is a wicked, ruthless and heartless man, the public prosecutor told the court while presenting his argument.
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"The man's actions towards the innocent boy were terrible and inhuman. The murder has affected the boy's family and the community," said the prosecutor while presenting the prosecution evidence to the court.
The 33-year-old Pakistani man, an AC mechanic, is on trial at the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court of First Instance on the charges of rape and murder.
The Pakistani boy, identified as Azan Majid, was found missing on June 1 this year, after he went to a nearby mosque to pray. His body was found the next day on the rooftop of the building on the Muroor Road where he was staying with his father and stepmother.
The public prosecutor said investigations revealed that the Pakistani, who is brother of the child's stepmother, had plotted attack on the child for months.
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"The man had spent almost four months visiting the child's parents frequently. He befriended the child and always hugged and pecked him saying he loved him," said the officer.
"The man also knew that the boy used to go to the mosque with his father for the afternoon prayer. On the day of the murder, the accused - apparently wearing an abaya and a niqab - waited for the boy who had remained in the mosque alone while reading the Quran after Asr prayer at the entry of their building.
"Disguising himself as a woman, the man lured the boy into going with him to the rooftop of the building where he attacked him," said the officer.
"He undressed the boy and raped him. He then used a rope he was hiding in his clothes to strangle him until the child died."
The officer said that the boy had tried to resist the attack and begged the man to spare him and let him go. After killing him, the Pakistani man fled leaving the rope used in the murder at the crime scene.
He also threw the clothes he was wearing during the murder in the garbage bin outside the building before driving away in his vehicle which had no number plate.
The prosecutor said police investigations led to the arrest of the killer who confessed to the murder.
The Abu Dhabi Public Prosecution charged the Pakistani with premeditated murder, rape, cross-dressing and driving a car without a number plate.
The man pleaded not guilty to all charges against him during the previous hearing when he first appeared in the court. He told the judge that his confession to the police and public prosecution was under duress.
But the public prosecutor has told the court that besides the man's earlier confession, the evidence they have presented is enough to convict him of rape and murder.
"What he did to the child shows that he's heartless. He was supposed to protect the poor boy because his parents trusted him. But instead, he did horrible things to him and then killed him," said the officer. He should be given the death penalty for what he did."