Egypt Daily News – The First Circuit of the Damanhour Criminal Court, convening at the Itay El-Baroud Court in Beheira Governorate, sentenced the defendant to life imprisonment for assaulting a student at a private school in Damanhour, in the case known in the media as the “Damanhour Child Case.”
At the beginning of the session, the court listened to the victim’s lawyer, who demanded that the charges against the defendant be upheld and that the maximum penalty be imposed. The court then heard the defense lawyer, who requested acquittal on the grounds that there was no conclusive evidence proving the defendant committed the crime.
The court was presided over by Judge Sherif Kamal Mostafa, with Judges Ahmed Hassouna Azab, Adham Mohamed Saeed, and Mohamed Saeed Abdelhamid as members.
The defendant arrived at the court before the session began, as did the victimized child with his family. A large number of citizens gathered in support of the child, demanding the harshest punishment for the defendant.
The Damanhour Central Prosecution had referred “S.K.” (79 years old), the financial officer of a private school in Damanhour, to the Criminal Court. He was charged with the felony of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 18.
According to the referral order issued by the Public Prosecution on March 2, 2025, this felony is punishable under Article 268, paragraphs 1 and 2, of the Egyptian Penal Code. The referral was based on Article 214/2 of the Criminal Procedures Code, as amended by Law No. 170 of 1981.
Public Prosecution Investigations into the Damanhour Child Assault Case
The Public Prosecution began its investigation in February 2024 and initially decided to close the case in January 2025. However, after the child’s family filed an appeal, the Public Prosecutor accepted it, leading to a reopening of the investigation. The defendant and several witnesses were reinterviewed, and the case was ultimately referred to the Criminal Court.
Defendant Denies Committing the Crime
During the investigations, the defendant denied all accusations made by the child’s family, claiming he had missed previous sessions due to health reasons, including undergoing open-heart surgery.
He stated in his testimony that he received a summons from the police chief informing him of the charge of sexually assaulting the child. He expressed shock, saying, “How could that be? I am an old man with heart disease.”
He added that he had been brought in for identification by the child, who failed to recognize him in front of the police chief. He later learned that the child’s father had filed an official report accusing him.
Defendant Claims He Never Approaches the Kindergarten Area
The defendant asserted that he was only present at the school on Mondays and Thursdays and worked in an administrative building completely separate from the kindergarten, elementary, and middle school buildings, located about 50 meters away.
He added that there were no financial disputes with the child’s family regarding tuition fees and denied knowing anything about the charges against him.
Child Identified the Defendant Twice During Lineups
The investigations revealed that the child was brought face-to-face with the defendant five times. The child identified him on the first two occasions “at first glance” but failed to do so in the subsequent three confrontations after the defendant removed his glasses and scarf.
National Council for Childhood and Motherhood Supports the Child in Court
Dr. Sahar El-Sonbaty, head of the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood, assigned two lawyers from the Legal Support Unit to attend the trial sessions on behalf of the child to ensure he received full legal protection.
