It’s great to be home, Mum! Scot’s Dubai nightmare is f inally over
A SCOT who faced three months in a Dubai prison after touching a man on the hip in a bar finally came home for an emotional reunion with his family last night. Jamie Harron had been sentenced to jail in the United Arab Emirates on Monday.
But less than 24 hours later he was exonerated after the UAE’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum stepped in to have him released.
The 27-year-old, from Stirling, last night flew back to Scotland to meet his worried mother, sister and aunt at Glasgow Airport.
Despite his relief at the end of a three-month ordeal, he took the opportunity to blast the country that had been set to imprison him until next year.
He said: ‘It was a total shambles from the word go. There was no organisation or anything.
‘I did not see light at the end of the tunnel. I still can’t believe what has happened. I can’t believe I’ve lost three and a half months.
‘I have been caught up in a bad situation.’
Mr Harron had been held in the city with his passport confiscated since July, when he was arrested for public indecency.
He said he was simply trying to avoid spilling his drink when he passed the businessman as he navigated one of the city’s bustling bars.
Mr Harron had also been accused of drinking alcohol and making a rude gesture towards the businessman who made the complaint.
What should have been a simple two-day stopover on his way to a job as an electrician in Afghanistan spiralled into a three-month nightmare. He has already lost his job and racked up more than £32,000 in expenses and legal fees.
After landing in Glasgow around 9pm and being asked what the first thing he would do when he got home, Mr Harron replied: ‘Get into a good bed.
‘I have been sleeping on my mate’s bed for three and a half months. I’m still in total shock. I feel very good. I am happy to be home.’
On clearing immigration, Mr Harron was greeted by his aunt Angela, sister Jordan and mother Patricia, who hugged and kissed him.
His clearly overjoyed 55year-old mother said: ‘This is just wonderful. It is brilliant to have him home.’
Despite his experiences, Mr Harron said that he would not be averse to returning to the UAE for work.
‘I would go back, going back through work,’ he added.
‘The Sheikh has cleared everything for me. I’m not going in any hurry but I would go back later on.’
Speaking earlier this week he said: ‘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.’
He added: ‘No one should have to go through what I went through. It’s going to take me a while to recover. The past few months have been up and down and full of worry for everyone. I am arranging flights back home now and can’t wait to see my family.’
Dubai police were originally called in by Emad Tabaza, a Jordanian businessman who works for a German company.
He told officers Mr Harron had made a rude gesture and said the Scot was ‘very drunk’ and ‘repeatedly’ touched him at the Rock Bottom bar on July 15.
He withdrew his complaint this month but prosecutors still decided to proceed with the case.
Mr Harron spent a week in jail straight after his arrest.
He was then released on bail and ordered to pay a fine of 2,000 dirhams (£412) for drinking alcohol.
‘Caught up in a bad situation’