DUBAI HELL JAMIE IS JAILED FOR DRINKING
And he still faces 3 years prison for hip touch
A SCOT arrested in a Dubai bar after touching a man’s hip by accident is planning to appeal after he was sentenced to a month in prison yesterday for drinking booze.
Jamie Harron, from Stirling, admitted drinking alcohol at the crowded Rock Bottom Bar in July.
His lawyers submitted an appeal to the sentence, which included a £412 fine, ahead of a court appearance on October 22 on a charge of public indecency, which could lead to three years in jail if he is found guilty.
Jamie said: “I hope it can be sorted out but I didn’t think it would have gone on for so many months in the first place.
“I’ve lost my job, I’m in debt now, I may be going to prison and all this for a two-day stopover.
“It’s just unbelievable. I’m still in shock that it’s actually happened.”
Tourists who drink at licensed venues in the United Arab Emirates statelet can still be arrested for having alcohol in their system.
Electrician Jamie, who was in Dubai before returning to work in Afghanistan, admits placing his hand on the man’s hip so they did not collide and spill their drinks.
The man, Jordanian Emad Tabaza, the Gulf area managing director of global technology giants Neuman & Esser, called police.
Jamie was held in jail for five days before being released on bail but has been stuck in Dubai for three months, where he has spent £32,000 trying to resolve the matter.
Radha Stirling, head of campaign organisation Detained in Dubai, said: “The complainant in this case has no evidence of any crime being committed but Jamie has been stuck in the UAE for more than three months.”
Tabaza was not available for comment yesterday.