Rabat – A Moroccan journalist for a national religious radio station was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment on Monday evening at the court of first instance in Rabat after pleading guilty to the rape of a 14-year -old child who was a candidate in a competition of Quran recitation, reported the newspaper Assabah on Thursday.
According to court documents, the defendant was on a mission in a Moroccan city to select young candidates willing to take part in the Quranic competition, when he met the victim and promised to help him get to an advanced level and participate in competitions in different Gulf countries.
The child, who waived his right to anonymity, said that he visited the house of the journalist in Rabat, where he was subjected to violent sex assaults. He also stated that he traveled with him to Ifrane and received money from him from time to time.
After six months of remaining in silence, the traumatic effect of the abuse started to take over the child, who was taken to a specialist doctor later and revealed what happened to him.
According to the daily, the 14-year-old boy attempted to commit suicide after his family knew about the incident.
In the course of police investigation, the interrogators asked the boy to talk to the suspect by phone and pretend that he would visit him at home in Rabat on the condition that he would not be sexually assaulted again.
Once the charges were confirmed against the accused, who asserted during the phone conversation that he would stop assaulting him, the court of first instance in Rabat found him guilty and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.
