DUBAI, Oct 9:  A European man in his 60s has been fined Dh1,000 by the Dubai Misdemeanour Court after being found guilty of assaulting a two-year-old boy in a shopping mall play area.

The incident, which took place in October last year, came to light when an Asian father filed a police complaint, claiming that the man had slapped his young son during a disagreement between the child and the defendant’s daughter, according to Al Khaleej Arabic daily.

According to the father’s statement, he rushed to the play area after hearing his son crying. He found the boy pointing at the defendant, who appeared to ignore the situation and continued interacting with his daughter. The father then observed from a distance and alleged that the man approached the boy again and slapped him, causing the child to fall and hit a wall, resulting in bruises and emotional distress.

In his defence, the European man denied intentionally harming the child. He claimed he was merely trying to move the boy away from his daughter, who had been disturbed by the toddler on several occasions. He also alleged that the boy’s father physically assaulted him afterward.

A medical report found no visible injuries on the child. However, the court ruled that the absence of physical marks did not negate the occurrence of an assault.

In its judgement, the court stated that the act of striking the child was intentional and carried out of the defendant’s own free will, thus constituting a punishable offence under UAE law.