The man accused of raping and murdering a 11-year-old boy in Abu Dhabi is said to have planned the crime for months while befriending the victim, a court heard on Tuesday (24 October) during the latest trial in a case which has shocked the UAE.

The public prosecutor told the court that the murder of the boy was one of the most heinous crimes ever reported from the UAE capital, and claimed that the accused is a wicked and heartless man.

"The man's actions towards the innocent boy were terrible and inhuman. The murder has affected the boy's family and the community," the prosecutor said.

The 33-year-old Pakistani man, who works as an AC technician, is on trial at the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court of First Instance.

Police said that the victim Azan Majid Janjua was taken on 30 May by the accused while walking to afternoon prayers at a mosque in Abu Dhabi during Ramadan.

The public prosecutor said investigations revealed that the accused is the brother of the child's stepmother and had plotted the attack on the child for months, Khaleej Times reported.

"The man had spent almost four months visiting the child's parents frequently. He befriended the child and always hugged and pecked him, saying he loved him," a police officer said.

"The man also knew that the boy used to go to the mosque with his father for the afternoon prayer. On the day of the murder, the accused – apparently wearing an abaya and a niqab – waited for the boy, who had remained in the mosque alone while reading the Quran after Asr prayer, at the entry of their building.

"Disguising himself as a woman, the man lured the boy into going with him to the rooftop of the building where he attacked him," said the officer.

"He undressed the boy and raped him. He then used a rope he was hiding in his clothes to strangle him until the child died."

According to the officer, the boy had tried to resist the attack. After committing the crime, the accused fled, leaving the rope used in the murder at the crime scene.

The accused also threw the clothes he was wearing during the murder in a garbage bin outside the building before driving away in his vehicle, which had no number plate.

Police investigations led to the arrest of the killer, who eventually confessed to the murder.

The Abu Dhabi Public Prosecution has charged the Pakistani man with premeditated murder, rape, cross-dressing and driving a car without a number plate.

The man pleaded not guilty to all charges against him during the previous hearing. He had told the judge that his confession to the police and public prosecution was under duress.

The public prosecutor told the court that besides the man's denial earlier, the evidence they have presented was enough to convict him of rape and murder.

"What he did to the child shows that he's heartless. He was supposed to protect the poor boy because his parents trusted him. But instead, he did horrible things to him and then killed him. He should be given the death penalty for what he did."