Dubai duo sentenced to three months in jail, but intend to appeal
Two British expatriates have been sentenced to three months in jail in Dubai after being found guilty of having sex in public.
The pair, Vince Acors and Michelle Palmer, were arrested in July on Jumeirah Beach after a champagne brunch at Le Meridien hotel. They were found guilty yesterday of public indecency and having unmarried sex.
They have each been fined AED1,000 (£160) and will be deported following their release from jail. Lawyers for the pair said they would appeal.
Acors and Palmer had both denied charges of having sexual intercourse on the beach, but had admitted drinking alcohol.
Although the sentence is comparatively lenient in Gulf terms – the pair had been expected to face up to six years in jail if found guilty - it will be seen as fresh evidence of the Islamist government cracking down on the perceived immorality of the 120,000 British workers currently living and working in the Gulf.
The government has also taken a hardline stance against drugs, with a British DJ recently sentenced to four years in prison after being found with 2 grams of cannabis on his person.
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