Jail for three students in rape case

The Sharjah Sharia Court of First Instance has sentenced three students for rape and threat of their classmate with a cleaver and circulating the video clip of the incident.

The presiding judge, Hussein Al Ousofi sentenced the first suspect A.A. to two years in jail while sentencing his partner, S.Y. to two years for assaulting the boy and threatening him with a cleaver and assisting his friend in the rape.

A third suspect M.H. who filmed the video, was sentenced to one year in jail to be followed by deportation and also ordered the confiscation of the film. His mother, who was present at the court, collapsed, while the judgement was pronounced.

Meanwhile, the court acquitted the fourth suspect M.K.

The victim is an American citizen of Arab origin. The victim's father reported the incident to the police on April 24 this year.

He complained that the four teenagers assaulted and raped his son on the staircase of a residential building in Al Majaz area.

He said the defendants threatened his son with a knife and cleaver before raping him.

They reportedly "tortured" him for three hours.

The father came to know about the incident only after the victim's friend in the US happened to see the assault video and informed him.

The victim said that he met his classmates after receiving a phone call from them.

During the court hearing, the defendants admitted to assaulting him, but denied the rape charge.The defendant accused of filming the act admitted to filming only the assault, not the rape.