Jailed, Scot who brushed against man in Dubai bar
Electrician faces losing everything as he is locked up for 3 months
A SCOT has been sentenced to three months in prison in Dubai for touching a man’s hip in a bar.
Jamie Harron was arrested in July on charges of public indecency and drinking alcohol in the United Arab Emirates.
The incident left him facing a jail term of up to three years, but yesterday a court in Dubai sentenced the 27-year-old to three months.
The electrician was heading to a job in Afghanistan but stopped on his way for a two-night visit to Dubai at the time of his arrest.
Mr Harron, from Stirling, had already been stuck in the UAE for three months before yesterday’s court hearing and has spent more than £32,000 in expenses and legal fees. He has also had his passport confiscated and has lost his job over the incident. It is understood his lawyers are planning to appeal the sentence.
Mr Harron is said to have been moving through a crowded bar and held a hand in front of him to avoid spilling his drink on himself or others. He then ‘touched a man on his hip to avoid impact’.
He was initially jailed for five days and then released on bail with his passport confiscated. Campaign group Detained in Dubai (DiD) said Mr Harron is ‘angry, disappointed and dreads what may happen next’.
Mr Harron is still to be sentenced for making a rude gesture and drinking alcohol during the same incident, but has already been sentenced to 30 days in prison for failing to appear at a court hearing.
DiD said Mr Harron was not told about the court date in advance and that sentence is also being appealed.
DiD founder Radha Stirling said: ‘Now Jamie has been sentenced to three months there is no telling whether a judgment on appeal will be better or worse.
‘He has already suffered tremendously as a result of these allegations and now faces the likelihood of incarceration.
‘His family was unable to visit him during this critical time because they faced a very real risk of imprisonment themselves under the UAE’s cyber-crime laws which forbid criticism of the government.
‘At this point, Jamie will be pursuing civil action against his accusers when he does eventually return home, as it appears he will not be able to find justice in the UAE.’
She added: ‘He feels betrayed and exploited by the system, which did not investigate the reports of key witnesses in his defence and led him to believe the case would be dropped.’
Alcohol consumption by non-Muslims in the UAE is only allowed in licensed restaurants, bars, clubs, private venues and at home.
Non-Muslim residents must obtain a liquor licence to drink at home and in licensed venues. It is a punishable offence to drink, or to be under the influence of alcohol, in public.
Mr Harron is not being held in custody while the appeal is considered.
His accuser, businessman Emad Tabaza, called police and claimed Mr Harron had been ‘very drunk’ and ‘repeatedly’ touched him.
Earlier this month, the engineering firm for which Mr Tabaza works, Neuman & Esser, said he had dropped his complaint after realising the punishment Mr Harron is facing.
Mr Tabaza said he would not have involved the police if the club’s security staff had ‘intervened correctly’.
Last week Mr Harron’s parents, Graham and Patricia, said they wanted to visit their son but were warned they could be jailed for speaking out against the government.
Criticising the UAE government, companies or individuals, or incidents related to the country are considered a crime punishable under UAE law.
A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: ‘We have been in contact with a British man following his arrest in Dubai in July. ‘We are providing consular assistance.’
‘Suffered as a result of these allegations’ ‘Feels betrayed and exploited’