JAFFA, Israel – A court in the United Arab Emirates sentenced a 14-year-old girl to three months’ imprisonment for sending a naked picture of her to a 16-year-old boy, who was himself sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for “soliciting obscenity” and is likely to be deported upon his release.
The girl’s lawyer appealed the sentence, saying her phone was hacked, adding that the boy’s testimony, in which he said the picture was sent on Messenger but then claimed it was sent on Whatsapp, was inconsistent.
“We call on the communications authority to investigate the way in which the picture was received so as to corroborate my client’s claim that she didn’t send it,” the lawyer said.
The verdict says that the boy, whose nationality is unknown, attempted to blackmail the girl, but only after she had sent him her naked pictures. He threatened that if she didn’t send him more pictures, he would sell her pictures for 300 dirham (US$80) and videos for 1,000 dirham ($250)
The court said that the girl confessed to having sent the pictures, but then retracted in the appeal. She claims to have been a victim of hacking by the boy, whom she allegedly doesn’t know.
Following the case, calls have been made to increase the surveillance of teenage users of social media.