JEDDAH — The grandfather of Rakan, the 9-year-old child who is currently under treatment for burns in a Jeddah hospital, accused the boy's parents of physically and verbally abusing his grandson. "Since his birth, Rakan has been tormented by his parents," the grandfather said on Wednesday. He expected the ongoing investigations to reveal more details about the predicament of his grandson. The grandfather said his son, Rakan's father, told him that he hated the boy, the circumstances in which he was born and was hoping for his early death. "For nine years I have been after my son asking him to hand over the boy to me so I could take good care of him but he has been avoiding me," he said. The grandfather said his son and his wife started physically abusing their own son since he was three years old. “My son used to kick the boy in sensitive places, electrocuted him and poured scalding water over his body so that his death would look natural if he died," he said. The grandfather said his son used to lock the boy in the bathroom for days without food or water. "When I tried to stop this abuse, his father would move to another city to avoid my confrontations with him over his son," he said. He charged that the mother supported her husband in the maltreatment of their son and never once tried to protect the defenseless child. The grandfather recalled an incident that took place about seven months ago in Riyadh when the father hit the boy with extreme force causing a deep cut behind his ear. “The doctors insisted that the police be informed but we somehow assured them that the boy fell down from the staircase.” He asked the concerned authorities to send his son to jail for torturing the boy, and also asked them to give him the child's custody. Jeddah police said the boy's father was questioned and charged with abuse. The case has been turned over to the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution.
