Scots grandfather allowed home after ‘trespass’ charges in Dubai

A Scottish grandfather who had been barred from leaving Dubai and was facing charges of trespass after asking his daughter’s neighbour to turn down loud music has been told he is free to go.

However, Ian Mackellar, 75, who was fined £650, says he felt he was pushed into pleading guilty in hope of being released.

Mr Mackellar, from Aberdeenshire,

was visiting the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with his wife, Carol, to help their daughter, who had recently moved there with her young child.

He has also not been given a future travel ban to Dubai and will be allowed to return to visit his daughter and granddaughter.

The charges followed an incident on New Year’s Eve, when Mr Mackellar asked a neighbour who was holding a party to turn down loud music as his granddaughter could not sleep. His daughter had previously sent messages asking the host to reduce the noise.

As he left, Mr Mckellar claims the host ran up to him and threw a drink over the baby, which he warned he would report to the police. However, his daughter decided not to go ahead with the report as she did not want to cause a problem with her new neighbour.

The neighbour subsequently reported Mr Mckellar for trespass, leaving him facing a potential jail sentence. He was also told he could not leave Dubai while the case was being processed. Two weeks later, Mr Mackellar was taken to Al Barsha police station where he was told he would meet prosecutors. Radha Stirling, chief executive of charity Detained in Dubai, has warned it is common practice in Dubai for someone who believes they are at risk of being reported themselves to pre-emptively file a complaint against their complainer.

“He had no idea what was happening,” said Ms Stirling. “He was put in front of a judge without his lawyer and essentially pushed to plead guilty.”

Ms Stirling added: “Expedited proceedings would be a welcome change for Dubai’s legal system. However, they are extremely rare and Ian is fortunate that his case was escalated within the government.”