DUBAI SCOT FREE
Jamie’s joy as sheikh axes bar touch case
A SCOT jailed for touching a man’s hip in a Dubai bar told of his relief last night after he was freed to come home.
Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum made a special order dismissing all cases against Jamie Harron a day after he was sentenced to three months in prison.
Jamie, 27, from Stirling, has now made plans to leave the United Arab Emirates and return to his family. In a statement released through campaign group Detained in Dubai, Jamie – who was arrested in July – spoke of his ordeal.
He said: “Yesterday, I faced months in a Dubai prison cell. Today, I was phoned to say I could collect my passport.
“The past few months have been up and down and full of worry. I am arranging flights back home and can’t wait to see my family.
“No one should have to go through what I went through. It’s going to take me a while to recover.
“It is hard for my friends to imagine what was going through my head when I was told I would be jailed for months.
“I am struggling to come to terms with being released but will be having dinner with my friends tonight before I leave for good.”
Radha Stirling, head of Detained in Dubai, said: “We wish to express our deepest gratitude to Sheikh Mohammed for his personal intervention in this case, and for exonerating Jamie at long last.
“This was a courageous and honourable decision.”
Electrician Jamie had been working in Afghanistan and was on a two-day stopover in the UAE when he was arrested.
Jamie insisted he had been holding a drink while moving through a crowded bar and had held a hand in front of him to avoid spilling it. He then “touched a man on his hip to avoid impact”.
But businessman Emad Tabaza complained and Jamie was arrested and charged with public indecency.
Jamie was released on bail and his passport was confiscated, which led to him losing his job.
He was also sentenced in absentia to 30 days for failing to appear in court after he was accused of making a rude gesture and drinking alcohol during the same incident.