A British couple were sentenced to three months in prison on Thursday after being found guilty of having sex on a Dubai beach following a champagne-fueled brunch.
Vince Acors, 34, of Bromley, southeast London, and Michelle Palmer, 36, of Oakham, Rutland, were also fined 1,000 dirhams (US$270) and will be deported after serving their sentences. They have 15 days to appeal.
The sentences were shorter than the maximum penalty of two years, and were described as lenient by prosecutors. But they are likely to cast a pall, at least temporarily, over Dubai’s Friday brunches, which are attended by thousands of expats and have become a routine way of starting the weekend. Just as Dubai’s Muslims head to the mosque for Friday prayers, beachfront hotels lay on “all you can eat and drink” spreads for a fixed price.
Brunch at the five-star Meridien hotel on Jumeirah beach, where Acors and Palmer were arrested in July, is one of the most popular. It costs US$60 to US$70 per person, lasts two-and-a-quarter hours and many people drink fast. A rival brunch at the Fairmont hotel promises unlimited Moet.
Acors and Palmer, who were not present in court, were seen romping in the early hours of July 5, after meeting for the first time at the brunch. Prosecutors said they were seen having sex on the beach after being dropped off by a taxi.
At an earlier hearing, a police officer told the court he had warned the pair about their inappropriate behavior, but returned later to find them having sex on a sun lounger.
He described seeing Palmer in his torch light with her “shirt off” and “sitting on” Acors, who was in Dubai on holiday.
Acors and Palmer both denied offenses of unmarried sex and public indecency but admitted being drunk at the time of their arrest.
‘JUST KISSING’
Palmer, who was sacked from her job in Dubai as a publishing executive after her arrest, claimed they were “just kissing and hugging.”
She said: “We didn’t have sex together. I was lying on top of him.”
A friend said yesterday that Palmer has been suffering from depression, panic attacks and anxiety as a result of the case.
“She has been out once in the past three months,” the friend said. “And that was for her birthday because her friends made her go out.”
After the hearing at the emirate’s court of first instance, their lawyer, Hassam Matter, said: “I have spoken to them. They are upset. We are making an appeal against the verdict. They haven’t been arrested and taken into custody yet. I have 15 days to appeal.”
He said witness statements, including one from a police officer, were wrong. Medical examinations proved Palmer did not have sex, he said.
Speaking outside court, senior prosecutor Faisal Abdelmalek Ahli said he was disappointed at the length of sentences.
“I’m not happy,” he said. “It’s very light. It’s normal for a sentence to be six months to a year for an offence such as this.”
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 case has highlighted Dubai’s complex social mores. The Friday brunches are attended by many of Dubai’s 120,000 British residents, who are attracted to the emirate by tax-free salaries. But behind that stands a strict Islamic code, not always strictly enforced, which makes displays of public affection illegal.
HEAVY DRINKING
“[The brunches] can be heavy drinking sessions, and starting so early in the day can take some getting used to,” said Gemma, a British marketing executive with one of Dubai’s property companies, who asked for her surname to be withheld. “But they are the social highlight of the week and everyone goes along and tries the different places out.”
The UK charity Prisoners Abroad believes Dubai could be the riskiest place in the world for unwary travelers.
“The plight of this unfortunate couple should serve as a stark warning to anybody traveling overseas, especially to countries in the Middle East,” said Pauline Crowe, chief executive of the charity.
“As this case illustrates, what may seem like an innocent act or misdemeanor in the UK can often land people in serious trouble when abroad. Ignorance will not be accepted as an excuse by local courts,” she said.
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
Japan and the Philippines yesterday signed a defense pact that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters. Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, triggering a military response. Japan and the Philippines have also had separate territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East and South China
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
PAPERS, PLEASE: The gang exploited the high value of the passports, selling them at inflated prices to Chinese buyers, who would treat them as ‘invisibility cloaks’ The Yilan District Court has handed four members of a syndicate prison terms ranging from one year and two months to two years and two months for their involvement in a scheme to purchase Taiwanese passports and resell them abroad at a massive markup. A Chinese human smuggling syndicate purchased Taiwanese passports through local criminal networks, exploiting the passports’ visa-free travel privileges to turn a profit of more than 20 times the original price, the court said. Such criminal organizations enable people to impersonate Taiwanese when entering and exiting Taiwan and other countries, undermining social order and the credibility of the nation’s
RSS