A Dubai court has fined a European man AED 1,000 after finding him guilty of assaulting a two-year-old boy in a play area at a shopping mall.
The case stemmed from an incident in October last year when an Asian father reported that a man in his 60s had slapped his young son during a dispute with the man’s daughter, according to a report by Al Khaleej Arabic daily.
The father said he rushed to the play area after hearing his son cry and found the boy pointing toward the defendant, who appeared to ignore the scene and focus on his daughter. The father alleged that moments later, the man approached again and struck the child, causing him to fall and hit a nearby wall. The impact reportedly left the toddler with bruises and distress.
The accused denied the allegations, insisting he only tried to move the child away from his daughter and that any physical contact was accidental. He also claimed that the boy’s father later attacked him.
While a medical report showed no visible injuries, the Dubai Court of Misdemeanour ruled that the absence of physical marks did not invalidate the assault charge. The court stated that the act of striking a child was intentional and constituted a punishable offense under UAE law.
