He and his eldest son have been heavily fined for drug abuse and assaulting the girl.
A father dragged his three sons into drug abuse consuming hashish and psychotropic substances in front of his children, an Abu Dhabi court has heard.

Court documents stated that issues began after the man - a GCC national - separated from his wife. The father took custody of his three sons while custody of other children who were below ten was granted to their mother.

The man turned into a drug addict and neglected his children who were staying with him and those in the custody of their mother. He also lost his job and stayed home consuming drugs. His sons - all below 18 - stopped going to school and began using drugs.

The man's ex-wife filed a complaint after the man failed to provide his children with a decent accommodation, school fees and other expenses. The authorities arrested the father after it was found out that he was a drug addict and that had also dragged his sons into drug abuse.

Father, sons charged with drug abuse
The father was charged with possessing and consuming narcotics, endangering the lives of his sons by using psychotropic substances, negligence, failure to take care of his children and leaving them home unattended. His three children were also charged with using drugs. Officers also charged the father and one of his sons, the second defendant in the case, with possessing drugs and assaulting the man's four-year old daughter.

The Abu Dhabi Criminal Court of First Instance had sentenced the father to one year in prison and another one year under supervision, restrictions and electronic surveillance for consuming drugs. He was also fined Dh15,000 for endangering the physical, psychological and moral integrity of his children. His sons were given a one-year suspended jail sentences and under supervision, restrictions and electronic surveillance for drug abuse. The man and his first son, a high school student, were both told to jointly pay a fine of Dh50,000 for assaulting the former's small daughter.

Sentences appealed
The father and his eldest son challenged the rulings to Abu Dhabi Appeal Court. During the appeal court hearing, the man's eldest son told court that his father was providing them with drugs, when he was smoking the narcotics with his friends at home.

The teenage boy said his father always told him and his two siblings to smoke narcotics with him. "He used to hit us for the simplest things. I do not want to live with my father anymore," he said. "I want to stay with my mother so I can to stay away from drugs."

The lawyer representing the eldest son argued that the teenager was a victim of his father's negligence and failure to take good care of him and his siblings as the law stipulates.

He also asked court to have mercy on his client and clear him the charge of assaulting his small sister stressing that there was not enough evidence to prove this and besides the young man is unemployed and can't afford to pay the fine as ordered by first court.

SOURCE :  KHALEEJTIMES