Criminal Court says the local man arrested for sexually abusing an 11-year-old in a guesthouse in Male’ would be remanded in custody till his trial.
Police said the Court made its decision today.
Police had revealed earlier that 38-year-old Anees Haleem of Silsilaage of HA. Baarah was arrested earlier this month as the prime suspect in this case.
It said that the suspect Anees Hilmy was arrested while at his house on the 2nd of June around 10:30 pm under a court warrant.
Police had said the latest update from the investigation showed that the suspect had been grooming the child before sexually abusing the minor.
Grooming is a tactic used by pedophiles to befriend and form an emotional connection with a child and sometimes family with the objective of sexual abuse.
Earlier, Commissioner of Police Mohamed Hameed had requested for the suspect to be remanded until the end of their trial. The commissioner sent a letter requesting as such to Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem.
This marks the first such instance in the last five years, where Maldives Police have requested to enact the Special Provisions Act to Deal with Child Sex Abuse Offenders.
