SEX-ON-BEACH TRIAL BRITONS GUILTY!
A British man and woman have been sentenced to three months in jail in Dubai after being found guilty of having sex on a beach.
Michelle Palmer, 36, of Oakham, Rutland, and Vince Acors, 34, of Bromley, south-east London, were arrested on 5 July.
They were fined 1,000 dirhams (£160; $350) and will be deported after serving their sentences.
Their lawyer says the pair will appeal against the sentence.
Palmer and Acors had denied charges of public indecency and having unmarried sex but admitted consuming alcohol.
They were not at Dubai's Court of First Instance to hear the ruling but had been ordered not to leave the emirate.
Their defence lawyer Hassan Matter said the pair were upset but not surprised by the verdict.
"They are not guilty but they were prepared for this," he said
He said he was hopeful the verdict would be overturned.
"I think I have a chance in the appeal court. I have 15 days to appeal. I have to find the reason why the judge gave three months."
Acors and Palmer will remain on bail until their appeal is heard at the court.
Senior prosecutor Faisal Abdelmalek Ahli said he was disappointed at the length of sentence.
"I'm not happy," he said, speaking outside court. "It's very light. It's normal for a sentence to be six months to a year for an offence such as this."
Mr Ahli said he expected Acors and Palmer to serve their full three-month term in a Dubai prison.
"Sometimes people serve half their sentence, but this is so short I expect they will serve it all," he said.
The pair were arrested on Jumeirah Beach hours after meeting at a champagne brunch at Dubai's five-star Le Meridien hotel.
A police officer told the court he had warned the pair about their inappropriate behaviour, but returned later to find them having sex on a sun lounger.
Palmer, who was sacked from her job in Dubai as a publishing executive after her arrest, said in a statement she and Acors had been "just kissing and hugging".
Mr Matter said witness statements, including one from the police officer, were "wrong" and medical examinations had proved Palmer had not had sex on the beach.
Friends of Palmer say she has been admitted to hospital in recent weeks suffering from anxiety and depression.
The case has turned the spotlight on the lifestyle of the 120,000 British residents of the United Arab Emirates.
The BBC's Christian Fraser, in Dubai, says there have been concerns lately that tourists are ignoring the emirate's strict Islamic laws and that the outcome of this case will be a warning that such drunken behaviour will not be tolerated in public.
Michelle Palmer, 36, of Oakham, Rutland, and Vince Acors, 34, of Bromley, south-east London, were arrested on 5 July.
They were fined 1,000 dirhams (£160; $350) and will be deported after serving their sentences.
Their lawyer says the pair will appeal against the sentence.
Palmer and Acors had denied charges of public indecency and having unmarried sex but admitted consuming alcohol.
They were not at Dubai's Court of First Instance to hear the ruling but had been ordered not to leave the emirate.
Their defence lawyer Hassan Matter said the pair were upset but not surprised by the verdict.
"They are not guilty but they were prepared for this," he said
He said he was hopeful the verdict would be overturned.
"I think I have a chance in the appeal court. I have 15 days to appeal. I have to find the reason why the judge gave three months."
Acors and Palmer will remain on bail until their appeal is heard at the court.
Senior prosecutor Faisal Abdelmalek Ahli said he was disappointed at the length of sentence.
"I'm not happy," he said, speaking outside court. "It's very light. It's normal for a sentence to be six months to a year for an offence such as this."
Mr Ahli said he expected Acors and Palmer to serve their full three-month term in a Dubai prison.
"Sometimes people serve half their sentence, but this is so short I expect they will serve it all," he said.
The pair were arrested on Jumeirah Beach hours after meeting at a champagne brunch at Dubai's five-star Le Meridien hotel.
A police officer told the court he had warned the pair about their inappropriate behaviour, but returned later to find them having sex on a sun lounger.
Palmer, who was sacked from her job in Dubai as a publishing executive after her arrest, said in a statement she and Acors had been "just kissing and hugging".
Mr Matter said witness statements, including one from the police officer, were "wrong" and medical examinations had proved Palmer had not had sex on the beach.
Friends of Palmer say she has been admitted to hospital in recent weeks suffering from anxiety and depression.
The case has turned the spotlight on the lifestyle of the 120,000 British residents of the United Arab Emirates.
The BBC's Christian Fraser, in Dubai, says there have been concerns lately that tourists are ignoring the emirate's strict Islamic laws and that the outcome of this case will be a warning that such drunken behaviour will not be tolerated in public.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Labels: Dubai Beach Sex Guilty Drunk UAE Public Tourists Laws Islamic British Residents
posted by jackaranda at 10:03 am
4 Comments:
This story is a great example of the propaganda machine in the "free US media". Can you tell me what happens if you have sex on an american beach, what happens if you get naked on an american beach?
Dubai is just shooting itself in the foot. The people who they are trying to attract, with the big bankrolls, dont care if there is sex on the beach. Most dont care about nudity, or homosexuality. Trying to enforce the very strict muslim rules on your guests isnt the way to attract anybody but oil sheiks.
You cant open a Disneyland for adults and not expect these things.
Sex in Public is a crime in the United States. One can be arrested for Public Indecency if someone sees you. There are criminal punishments for this.
Yet the United States is not a Muslim Country.
Sex in an airplane bathroom may be illegal since the lavatory could be considered a public place punishable by 6 months in jail and L1000 fine. These are non-Muslim UK laws.
You cannot visit a "Disneyland for adults," get drunk, act stupid, and expect that laws won't be enforced just because you're on vacation. Unless you go to the Netherlands.
The Dutch are legalizing sex in one particular public park. That's the only place I've heard it being legal (though I haven't looked around that much.)
This article deliberately or carelessly stirs up misunderstanding (and worse) by trying to classify the enforcement of this crime as an example of "strict Muslim laws." The author should educate him/herself so he/she can be a journalist, not a hateful and/or careless propagandist.
wise people say: wherever you go, do what you see!!!
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