By Amadou Jadama
An instructor has denied anally abusing a 13-year-old boy at an Arabic school in old Yundum.
Testifying in the on-going criminal trial at the Brusubi Magistrate Court yesterday, the man MJ, narrated: “I [MJ]. I am a student not an oustas. I was assisting my father because he was short of Qur’anic teachers. I taught the plaintiff the Qur’an up to completion. He needed to come back and revise it until he memorises it. When we started the revision on the first day, he was not making progress. Then I wanted to beat him, but he ran away and was brought back the following morning by his grandmother. Later on, he ran away and lodged in another home different from his own home. Another woman brought him back to the school. He ran away a third time and that was when he told his people I was having sex with him.
“When the grandmother called and she asked whether I was the one who had done such an indecent act to his child, I told her that all what he said to her were all lies. Then his grandfather told me that some boys start misbehaving when revising the Qur’an and he brought him back that very night.”
MJ further told the court that at about maghrib prayers time another day, the plaintiff ran away for a fourth time and they looked for him for three days but unable to locate him.
He added: “Then his mother came to me, at the school, and told me she will take me to the police. I called my father and informed him. After three days, the grandfather called me and told me that they have seen the boy. A few days, the complainant’s father came with the police and arrested me.
“All what they are saying never happened. Such a thing can never happen there without the knowledge of the children. All what they have said against me are mere accusations…” he testified.
The case has been adjourned to 13th April at 1pm for cross-examination.
