World
Mar 15, 2010
British pair faces jail over kiss
<!-- by line --> <!-- end by line --> DUBAI - A BRITISH pair caught kissing in public in Dubai face up to a month in jail in the Gulf Arab emirate for indecency after an Emirati mother complained her child had seen their indiscretion. The pair, a British man living in Dubai and a female friend, were arrested in November on accusations of kissing and touching each other intimately in public and consuming alcohol, their lawyer said. They were ordered jailed for a month. The case is the third time in under two years in which Britons have hit the headlines by falling foul of decency laws in Dubai, a flashy Muslim emirate popular with sun-seeking Western tourists and expatriates.
A lawyer for the pair, who launched an appeal on Sunday, said there had been no inappropriate kissing and the two were just friends. A verdict in the appeal is expected on April 4. 'There was no lip kissing. It was just a normal greeting that is not considered offensive,' lawyer Khalaf al-Hosani told the court, adding the complainant's testimony was contradictory. The British man's mother in London said her son, Ayman Najafi, had vowed to clear his name. The pair, free on bail, were also fined 1,000 dirhams (S$379) for illegal consumption of alcohol, the lawyer said. They were to be deported after the completion of their jail sentence. -- REUTERS
Mar 15, 2010
British pair faces jail over kiss
<!-- by line --> <!-- end by line --> DUBAI - A BRITISH pair caught kissing in public in Dubai face up to a month in jail in the Gulf Arab emirate for indecency after an Emirati mother complained her child had seen their indiscretion. The pair, a British man living in Dubai and a female friend, were arrested in November on accusations of kissing and touching each other intimately in public and consuming alcohol, their lawyer said. They were ordered jailed for a month. The case is the third time in under two years in which Britons have hit the headlines by falling foul of decency laws in Dubai, a flashy Muslim emirate popular with sun-seeking Western tourists and expatriates.
A lawyer for the pair, who launched an appeal on Sunday, said there had been no inappropriate kissing and the two were just friends. A verdict in the appeal is expected on April 4. 'There was no lip kissing. It was just a normal greeting that is not considered offensive,' lawyer Khalaf al-Hosani told the court, adding the complainant's testimony was contradictory. The British man's mother in London said her son, Ayman Najafi, had vowed to clear his name. The pair, free on bail, were also fined 1,000 dirhams (S$379) for illegal consumption of alcohol, the lawyer said. They were to be deported after the completion of their jail sentence. -- REUTERS
