DUBAI: A Dubai school has said that one of its teaching staff has been suspended following his arrest in the US for attempting to solicit sex with a seven-year-old.
William Ball, who works at the Swiss International Scientific School in Dubai, was arrested and charged in Tampa, Florida on Friday, with soliciting a minor for sex and child pornography.
The school said in a press statement that teachers, staff and stakeholders had been notified of Ball’s suspension.
“William Ball has been suspended with immediate effect pending confirmation and the outcome of the judicial process,” the statement to Arab News read, adding: “The school informed parents and staff as well as the relevant stakeholders.”
News broke of Ball’s arrest early Monday morning. Local reports suggested that he is originally from Mississippi and is a music teacher at the school. It has also been suggested that prior to his employment in Dubai, he was working at the Qatar Academy in Doha.
During a bond hearing in a court in Tampa the prosecutor explained that Ball was using the Internet and a mobile phone to set up and meet a seven-year-old, according to US cable news channel ABC.
The court heard that Ball paid $5,000 for a plane ticket and traveled to meet the child.
On his arrest, he was found to have items for a child, condoms and lubricant, the court heard.
Other evidence gathered includes extensive internet conversations, which is being handled by the Department of Homeland Security.
The school statement claimed that Ball was recruited through a “reputable agency” and that it carried out “stringent background checks.”
The school added that no concerns had been raised about Ball or any other member of staff.
The statement went on to add that immediate action had been taken and that ensuring the protection and wellbeing of its students, which it said was their “top priority.”
Dubai school suspends teacher after arrest amid child sex allegations
Dubai school suspends teacher after arrest amid child sex allegations
The art of war: fears for masterpieces on loan to Louvre Abu Dhabi
- UAE paid more than €1 billion to borrow priceless works, but experts in France want them back
PARIS: The Middle East war has raised fears for the safety of priceless masterpieces on loan from France to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the museum’s only foreign branch.
The Abu Dhabi museum, which opened in 2017, has so far escaped damage from nearly 1,800 Iranian drone and missile strikes launched since the conflict erupted on Feb. 28.
However, concerns are mounting in France. “The works must be removed,” said Didier Selles, who helped broker the original agreement between France and the UAE.
French journal La Tribune de l’Art echoed that alarm. “The Louvre’s works in Abu Dhabi must be secured!” it said.
France’s culture ministry said French authorities were “in close and regular contact with the authorities of the UAE to ensure the protection of the works loaned by France.”
Under the agreement with the UAE, France agreed to provide expertise, lend works of art and organize exhibitions, in return for €1 billion, including €400 million for licensing the use of the Louvre name. The deal was extended in 2021 to 2047 for an additional €165 million.
Works on loan include paintings by Rembrandt and Chardin, Classical statues of Isis, Roman sarcophagi and Islamic masterpieces: such as the Pyxis of Al-Mughira.
A Louvre Abu Dhabi source said the museum was designed to protect collections from both security threats and natural disasters.
