Sunny Umar’s child-sex abuse cases return to court Sunday after months of delay

The cases of Dr. Hussain Sunny Umar, who is accused of sexually assaulting children, have been rescheduled for Sunday at the Criminal Court.

Since January this year, the prosecution has filed five charges against Sunny Umar. A hearing on the charges was scheduled six months ago, and a further hearing, closed to the public, is now set for Sunday.

The charges against Sunny Umar include three counts under the Special Procedures Against Child Sexual Offenders Act and two counts under the Penal Code.

Charges against Sunny:

1. Three counts of intentionally touching the body of a child with sexual intent  

The charges were filed in three separate cases. These include allegations of sexual abuse of a child from the age of seven until August last year, along with two additional cases of sexual abuse. Each offence carries a prison sentence of 10 to 14 years.

2. Obstruction of justice  

This charge was filed after Sunny Umar failed to hand over his phone to police despite a court order. The basic punishment for this offence is one year, seven months and six days in prison.

3. Providing false information to an official body  

He is accused of forging SIM card information and giving false information to police. This offence carries a sentence of four months and 24 days.

The Prosecutor General’s Office said it will request the maximum punishment under the law if the charges are proven. If so, Sunny Umar faces at least 44 years in prison.