Court sentences male dentist accused of harassing men including celebrities to 16 years in prison

CAIRO – 15 July 2021: The Cairo Criminal Court sentenced on Thursday a male dentist to 16 years in prison over harassing men including celebrities in his clinic.

The case dates back when director-turned-singer Tameem Youness, known for his viral song “Salmonella,” and actor Abbas Aboul Hassan, who played the role of “Al-Gazzar” in the Egyptian movie “Mafia,” spoke on social media in August that they had been sexually assaulted by the aforementioned dentist.

The dentist faced accusations of indecent assault, which is less severe than rape, and of harassment.

The prosecution said it arrested the defendant, interrogated him and showed him the technical evidence he faces. It added that it found on his phone other technical evidence that endorses the accusations.

The defendant said he is suffering from a “disturbance in sexual orientation" that did not affect his perception and awareness but pushed him to commit such act, the prosecution’s statement read.

Lawyer of Aboul Hassan, 56, told 90 Minutes program on Mehwar that the defendant harassed his client three times at different occasions, the earliest of which was 26 years ago.

Youness said he was 22 years old when the dentist forcefully gripped the famous singer’s genital organ and then denied that he did.

The identities of the other three victims in the case have not been officially uncovered.

Last year, the Egyptian government ratified a draft law that guarantees the secrecy of testimonies made by victims of harassment, rape and sexual assault.

The law stipulates that violators, who uncover information about the victims or their testimonies, will be punished by imprisonment of no more than 6 months or a fine that does not exceed L.E. 500.

This came as part of the state’s keenness to maintain ethical principles at the time many victims are reluctant to report these crimes out of fear of harming their reputation.