In the UAE, a man found guilty of raping and sexually exploiting a boy has been sentenced to over 20 years in prison and fined Dh200,000.

Defendant had been referred to the juvenile court by the Kalba public prosecution. The criminal court found him guilty of all charges levelled against him.

A relative of the victim's mother discovered that her son had been sexually abused by the accused, according to the UAE Public Prosecution. He had raped him “several times” since he was 11 years old.

According to investigations, the accused had threatened [the victim] and advised him not to report what he had done. It also revealed that the accused was using drugs and psychotropic substances,” the public prosecution said.

The public prosecution urged parents and families to pay attention to their children, communicate with them, and listen to them constantly to protect them from harm.