A 27-year-old Dubai-based man has been sentenced to three months in jail after sending pornographic videos to a 13-year-old girl via email.
The man, who is a family friend of the young teen, recently lost his appeal during a court hearing in Dubai.
The girl's mother, who is an Indian national, discovered the vile email exchanges while going through her daughter's email account in August 2017.
After confronting her daughter about it, the 13-year-old explained that the man had molested her during visits to their home prior to sending the inappropriate content.
"Every time he came to visit my family, he would molest me and touch me indecently. He started doing so since I was 11," the 13-year-old said when testifying before the court, according to Gulf News.
"He emailed me indecent clips. I was scared to inform my parents because he constantly threatened me and told me that my mother would beat me and send me to India," she added.
The Dubai Court of First Instance first arrested the man in February. The accused then appealed the decision, asking for the court to acquit him.
However, the appeal was denied.
During his first hearing before the court, the defendant pleaded not guilty and denied sending any emails to the girl, according to Gulf News.
The 27-year-old also claimed that he was "involved in a love affair with the teenager."
"He also claimed that he constantly hugged and kissed her whenever he visited them during holidays. The defendant also claimed that the mother once kicked him out of the flat when she found him kissing her daughter on her lips," a policeman, who questioned the man, said.
The judge on the case rejected the appeal and upheld the three-month jail sentence. The man will be deported after serving his prison sentence.
Not the first case of its kind
In September 2017, a 46-year-old computer teacher in Dubai was arrested after asking a female student to send him nude photos through WhatsApp.
The man had reportedly asked an 11-year-old student to send provocative photos of herself. The girl was traumatized by the entire experience and even developed suicidal tendencies, her teachers said.
Sexual harassment laws in the UAE
The UAE's Penal Code incriminates any "scandalous and disgraceful act."
Articles 358 and 359 of the penal code provide clear-cut laws when it comes to certain incidents.
Article 358: "Whoever openly commits an indecent and disgraceful act shall be punished by detention for a period of at least six months. Whoever commits a disgraceful act with a girl or boy who has not completed fifteen years of age even if it is not committed openly, shall be punished by detention for at least a period of one year."
Article 359: "Whoever attempts to disgrace a female by words or by deeds in a public street or frequented place, shall be punished by detention for a period not exceeding one year and by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dirhams or by either of these two penalties. The same penalty shall apply to any man who disguises himself in a woman's clothing and enters a place the entry into which is reserved for women. If a man in such a case commits a crime, it shall be considered an aggravating circumstance."