Two British People Sent to Jail for Snogging in Dubai

[Joecoolyo]

Ayman Najafi, 24, a marketing consultant who lives in Dubai, and Charlotte Adams, 25, an estate agent from North London, were said to have been touching each other and kissing passionately as they dined with friends in a beachfront restaurant.

They were arrested and sentenced to a month in prison after which they were told they would be deported.

But the pair told a hearing at the Dubai Appeal Court on Sunday that they were the victims of a "huge misunderstanding" and had simply exchanged a friendly greeting.

"We kissed each other on the cheek as a greeting, nothing more,” Mr Najafi told Judge Aysar Fouad. Miss Adams pointed at her cheek to show where contact had taken place.

The two are not the first Britons to fall foul of the strict laws in the conservative Muslim state. Last year Michelle Palmer, 36, and Vince Acors, 34, were sentenced to three months imprisonment for having sex on a beach.

The latest incident took place when Miss Adams and Mr Najafi met along with four other friends for dinner at Bob's Easy Diner on the beachfront at the Jumeirah Beach Residence complex on November 27.

The police were called at around 2am by an Emirati woman sitting at a nearby table with her children and claimed her daughter had been upset by the display of affection.

"My daughter told me that the accused were kissing on the mouth,” she said.

“Then I spotted them doing so myself. I also saw them touching each other, as they were seated two to three metres away from our table. A number of customers witnessed the scene as well.”

After being arrested, the two were tested for alcohol and shown to have been drinking, though the readings of 22mg/dl are less than the drink-drive limit in Britain.

At the appeal hearing on Sunday, their defence lawyer Khalaf al Hosany said the couple admitted kissing each other on the cheek but denied any intention to break the law.

“It’s part of their culture to kiss on cheeks as a greeting,” he told the judge.

But their pleas of not guilty to indecency were rejected and they were sentenced to a month in prison followed by deportation.

They were also fined 1000 dirham (180 pounds) for being in a public place after consuming alcohol – an offence in Dubai, though drinking alcohol itself is not.

Mr Najafi has lived in Dubai for 18 months, where he works as a consultant for the Hay Group, a marketing firm.

Miss Adams, 25, was visiting the country and staying with another friend.

Her flatmate Jade Christa Williams, acting as a spokesman for Miss Adams, said what had happened was simply "a huge misunderstanding".

"She is completely innocent and is looking forward to coming home soon to carry on with her life and put this behind her," she said.

The pair were released on bail and are awaiting an April 4 verdict.

Source

Why do people still go on vacation there?

 

[dirtyparrot]

Will someone please think of the children!!!

 

[ParadigmShifter]

When in Rome, do as the Romans.

You gonna cause outrage in India for kissing in public too.

Just as you're gonna get banged up if you are a plane spotter with a camera in Greece.

 

[holy king]

When in Rome, do as the Romans.

when in a mississipi high school, do as they do in mississipi high schools?

 

[Quackers]

When in Rome, do as the Romans.

You gonna cause outrage in India for kissing in public too.

Just as you're gonna get banged up if you are a plane spotter with a camera in Greece.

Indeed

I wish our foreign residents were so kind. you can't get a job in a meat packing factory if you can't speak Polish nowasdays. Or teach the holocaust to muslim children

ANYWAY BYEBYE

 

[ParadigmShifter]

So immigrants should break the law, drink on street corners, be too lazy to find a job, do a useless degree to waste some time before getting a job, etc.?

EDIT: Forgot, buy a scary looking dog with huge testicles you can hardly control on the leash even when wearing a white muscle t-shirt, and shout "Jesus" at anyone walking by who has long hair and a beard , as if said person had never heard that before ever, and is gonna immediately sign you up as a stand-up comedian.

 

[Quackers]

So immigrants should break the law, drink on street corners, be too lazy to find a job, do a useless degree to waste some time before getting a job, etc.?

It's very sad if you think thats what Britain is 100% today...

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Oh, you are back, I thought you were leaving.

I edited to add in the bit about the dogs with enormous testicles and mocking people's appearance.

 

[Cynovolans]

The two are not the first Britons to fall foul of the strict laws in the conservative Muslim state. Last year Michelle Palmer, 36, and Vince Acors, 34, were sentenced to three months imprisonment for having sex on a beach.

How is that a strict law? Three months sounds too easy of a punishment.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

I guess that's one cocktail they won't be ordering in future.

 

[Quackers]

Oh, you are back, I thought you were leaving.

I edited to add in the bit about the dogs with enormous testicles and mocking people's appearance.

Yeh I remember i got window stacking side by side now

We need more british bulldogs

 

[bhsup]

Yeah, not too sympathetic. You adhere to local rules, yo. Just be lucky you don't get caned for it!

 

[Karalysia]

Britian should invade Dubai and free their citizens from these barbaric people. I'm sure a British aircraft carrier parked off their coastline will convince them.

 

[SG-17]

Question. What was a mother doing with her children at a restaurant at 2 am?

 

[Formaldehyde]

Being a good parent, of course.

Part of me is all for respecting their local customs and laws no matter how absurd and provincial they may be.

The other part is reeling from the sentence of a month in jail for having the audacity to kiss someone on the mouth in public.

And people in that area go to Dubai for vacations because they are a lot more liberal than other surrounding countries! Imagine that!

 

[classical_hero]

Link to video.

 

[Lil Post count]

I hope that couple gets the death penalty.

 

[amadeus]

Good on Dubai! Hopefully people will learn from this experience and divest from that worthless sand pit.

 

[Lillefix]

When in Quebec, do as the Quebecois.

No wait...

 

[Martacus]

Why do people still go on vacation there?

Because Beirut just isn't what it used to be.