Egyptian court sentences 50-year-old child molester to 15 years

An Egyptian criminal court sentenced on Tuesday a 50-year-old man to 15 years in prison after being convicted of molesting five preschool girls in a Cairo school, local news outlets reported.

The man, who worked at the school as a lift worker, sneaked into the premises and took the girls who wanted to use the bathroom and molested them, the reports added.

He has been accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting minors, according to the judge.

The parents of one of the victims first noticed red marks on her genitals; and when they asked her, she told them that "uncle hurt me while washing me up [at the toilet]," which prompted them to report the incident to the authorities.

The official complaint was followed by the other parents of four girls, ages ranging from 3 to 5 years, who all identified the perpetrator, mostly by trying to hide behind their mothers in fear when seeing him.

The five children have been examined by a coroner who confirmed the abuse they had been subjected to without them losing virginity.  

The case has made news headlines, sparking outrage by the public and children's rights advocates for months.

The suspect, who was arrested end of last year, has been in detention since then. The verdict against him can legally be appealed at a higher court.