A court has sent back to prosecutors the case of a school security guard accused of sexually harassing a 12-year-old girl in Tashkent's Shaykhontohur district, ruling that the incident showed signs of a crime.
The document says Sh.J., 23, worked as a contract security guard at the school. At about 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 15, he approached the girl, a pupil, inside the school building, held her by the waist and kissed her on the lips, it says.
Investigators classified the act as sexual harassment under Part 1 of Article 41-1 of the Administrative Liability Code and referred the case to court as an administrative matter.
After reviewing the case, the court concluded that the conduct contained signs of a crime and ordered the file returned to the prosecutor.
"It has not been fully established whether Sh.J. committed sexual acts against a minor girl born in 2014, whether his actions contain elements of a crime, or what the circumstances of the case were," the ruling said. "In a repeat inquiry, the circumstances must be thoroughly examined and a determination made on whether Sh.J.'s actions contain elements of a crime. If a crime was committed, his actions must be properly assessed."
Under Article 129 of the Criminal Code, committing lewd acts without violence against a person under 16 is punishable by up to three years in prison. If the victim is under 14, the maximum sentence is five years. If the acts involve violence or intimidation, the penalty is five to eight years' imprisonment.
Stay up to date with all the latest news:
