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7DAYS
WEDNESDAY MAY 13, 2009
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NEWS IN
Family claims UAE resident is being held on false information
DUBAI
BRIEF
Jailed for
Health tips
‘Extortion victim’
molesting
a patient
handed out A UAE resident seized by US An x-ray technician has been
forces in Afghanistan was a jailed for three months after
DUBAI: Health tips have victim of a local extortion sexually assaulting a patient.
been handed to hundreds plot, his brother has said. The 42-year-old Indian man
of kids across Dubai in a US forces in Afghanistan worked at a private clinic in
bid to slash child obesity. seized Ahmed Hassan in Dubai, the court of first
International children’s December. His cousin, aunt instance heard.
charity UNICEF has joined and uncle were all killed in the The court heard he molested
forces with the Ministry of raid on their family home. the 39-year-old Filipina when
Health to launch the Fat The family are now hoping she went to the clinic in March
Truth - a drive to help for a prison visit to see Ahmed for an x-ray.
youngsters shed the at the end of the month. The victim said: “He asked
pounds and get active. Speaking to 7DAYS from Al me to change my clothes and
Sessions have been held at Ain, Ahmed’s brother, Ayoub, to wear a gown for the x-ray.
11 state and private schools said the Americans were “I stood in front of the x-ray
across the emirate to warn working on false information machine and he asked me to
pupils of the risks of being after an Afghan in their home come closer to the machine.
overweight and exercise town tried to extort money Suddenly he touched my chest
classes run by football and from his family. in a sexual way for five seconds
fitness experts were also “This man came to us and and then he left the room.”
held for the children. said ‘I have no money. Your Police arrested the man, who
A booklet aimed at encour- family are doing well. If you admitted he had sexually
aging families to adopt a don’t give me money, I will tell assaulted the victim.
healthier lifestyle has also the Americans you are working
been handed out to house- for the Taliban’,” Ayoub said.
holds as the three-month He said he and his family
campaign gathers pace. had always respected the
DUBAI
Americans before the raid.
“When the Afghan army SEIZED: Ahmed Hassan was taken by US forces in December last year accused of supporting terrorism.
came to our home, they stole Heroin is
Mum to find
my gold, they stole whatever
By Sean O’Driscoll
manager in Al Ain both aged to visit Ahmed in prison
they could find. The Americans strongly deny. in March, but said the conver-
are not like that. I could not He said he was numb after Ahmed, who was working for sation was controlled very smuggled
out her fate
believe they would do this.” he was told of the raid by his the Al Ghadeer Pure Drinking tightly by prison authorities.
brother, Bakht, who was then Water in Al Ain, had returned to However, Ahmed said at the
based in Abu Dhabi. Khost in Afghanistan on a time that he had put on in handbag
DUBAI: A motorist who ran
“I DIDN’T WANT TO
“I didn’t feel much, I didn’t family visit when he was cap- weight and that prison condi-
over and killed a worker as FEEL MUCH want to feel much because I tured in December. tions had improved. A woman was caught smug-
he tried to cross Sheikh
BECAUSE THERE
knew there was nothing we The family has won support Ayoub is now hoping the gling 1kg of heroin through
Zayed Road will be could do,” he said. from Afghanistan’s pro-west- family will learn how long the Dubai International Airport.
sentenced this month.
WAS NOTHING WE
Ahmed is currently being ern president, Hamid Karzai, Americans intend to hold The African woman was
Sandra Grams, 54, will
COULD DO”
held in Kabul and is accused who visited them and den- Ahmed when the family visit stopped as she tried to enter
appear before Dubai Traffic AYOUB HASSAN of supporting terrorism, a ounced US attacks on civilians. him at the end of the month. the UAE from an Asian country.
Court on May 24 and could charge that his family and his One family member man- sean.odriscoll@7days.ae Brigadier Abdul Jalil Mahdi,
face a fine, driving ban or head of the Anti-Narcotic
even a custodial sentence Department in Dubai Police,
and deportation. said the heroin was hidden in
Grams, a British mother-of- Scotsman wins trip home thanks to 7DAYS the woman’s bag.
three, mowed down the “An officer suspected the
Asian worker as he A Scotsman was celebrating As he picked up the tickets woman when he noticed
attempted to cross the yesterday after winning a at Long’s Bar at Towers strange materials in her bag on
busy carriageway at rush 7DAYS competition that will Rotana yesterday, the father- the x-ray scanning machine,”
hour in March. see him return to his home- of-two said: “I left Aberdeen he said.
Her family has launched a land for a family reunion. nine years ago and have “He searched the bag and
campaign to get the Roads Mark Petrie, 50, was chosen only been back once since. found two plastic bags full of
and Transport Authority to as the winner of our Reader “The chance to go back to heroin. They had been con-
build more pedestrian Survey Competition and won Scotland is great, we’re cealed in a clever way.”
crossings and barriers a luxury trip to Edinburgh. really looking forward to it.” Police said the woman con-
along the central reserv- Petrie and wife Thea are The couple will fly from fessed that she had met an
ations of highways. looking forward to a break Dubai to Edinburgh courtesy Asian man who had asked her
Her case was adjourned by away from Dubai as they of Virgin Atlantic before to smuggle the drugs to Dubai
the traffic court yesterday. head back to Scotland for checking into the Balmoral FLYING HIGH: From left, Bakr Ghuneim from 7DAYS, winners and gave her money in return
the first time in years. Hotel for a four-night stay. Mark and Thea Petrie, and Thumendrika Ekanayake from Virgin for doing so.
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