Distressing mobile phone footage showing a child being hit, thrown on a bed and slapped was played at Greenock Sheriff Court yesterday during the trial of Osama Tabanjat Karbouj, 40, who denies assault charges involving four children and a woman.
Karbouj appeared before Sheriff Laura Mundell with an Arabic interpreter. Videos recorded on the complainer's phone were shown, including one where a man, whose face is not visible, slaps a child on the ground before hauling her onto a bed and continuing to slap her. The defence claims the man is not the accused.
The complainer testified about an incident where a child burned her forearm on a travel hob, and the accused allegedly said 'she deserved it'. She also said she was scared to report the alleged offences until December 2023, adding: 'I recorded things because I didn't think anyone would believe me.'
Defence solicitor Michelle Skelly suggested the complainer made up allegations and told children to lie, which she denied. The trial continues on October 7.
Source: greenocktelegraph.co.uk
