HOLIDAY HELL
Dubai laws for tourists – how to avoid prison and being arrested from road rage to kissing in public
DUBAI has become a popular destination with Brits over the years but seemingly harmless "crimes" in the holiday hotspot can see you arrested - or even in jail.
As The 1975 singer Matt Healy defies Dubai’s anti-gay laws by kissing a man during a concert, we look at eight Brit holidaymakers who found themselves dealing with the heavy hand of Arab law.
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Brushed up against man in a bar
Tourist Jamie Harron hit headlines after he was arrested for touching a man's hip in a Dubai bar.
Cops arrested the 27-year-old from Stirling, Scotland, for public indecency in July, 2017.
Authorities stripped the electrician of his passport and left him penniless after forking out £32,000 in legal fees.
Jamie denied indecency and remains adamant it was a 'cultural misunderstanding'.
Harron was sentenced to three months in jail – even after the accuser dropped the complaint against the Scot – but he was freed just 24 hours later.
In 2019, Matt Healy defied Dubai's anti-LGBT laws by kissing a male fan on the lip during a gig by his band The 1975.
Homosexuality is punishable by up to 10 years jailtime in Dubai.
Mistakenly using fake £20 note
Fellow Scot Billy Barclay faced a year in a hellish Dubai prison after mistakenly using a fake £20 on his dream holiday.
Police accused the 31-year-old plasterer of passing on fake money during a trip with his wife and two kids to the United Arab Emirates in 2017.
The note had set off a counterfeit scanner with the dad-of-two hauled into the local police station.
Cops quizzed Billy, from Edinburgh, for 12 hours while officers searched the family's hotel room.
He was later released and .
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Swearing in road rage incident
Brit Jamil Ahmad, 23, had a run in with the law after flicking the V during a road-rage incident.
The IT consultant was on a romantic getaway with his wife in 2017, when he swore at a driver he claimed had dangerously cut him up.
Cops heard of the incident and arrested Ahmad on grounds of "public obscenity".
His wife was forced to fly back to Leicester while Ahmad faces a six month prison sentence.
Sharing message about buying blankets for refugees
Warmhearted Scott Richards was detained for three weeks in Dubai after sharing a charity Facebook post.
The dad-of-two shared the post which promoted a drive to buy blankets for refugees in Afghanistan while holidaying in the UAE.
He was arrested in 2016 under laws that ban donations or advertising of charities that are not registered in the country.
Richards was released on bail before prosecutors decided to drop the case last year.
Couple kissing and holding hands in public
Back in 2010 a British couple made headlines around the world after they were arrested for smooching in public.
Locals dubbed the PDA as a violation of the country's decency laws after kissing on the mouth in a restaurant.
Ayman Najafi, 24, and Charlotte Adams, 25, appealed their conviction stating it was a mere peck on the cheek.
The pair lost their appeal and were sentenced to a month in jail before being deported.
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Sex on the beach
Unsurprisingly, Dubai cops came down hard on a British couple who had sex on a beach.
Michelle Palmer, 36, had been living in the country for over two years before she was caught romping with fellow Brit Vince Acors, 34, on Jumeirah Beach.
They were arrested, charged and later caged for violating indecent behaviour laws and sex outside of marriage.
On top of the prison sentence the pair were handed a 1,000 dirham (approx £200) fine and were deported.
Having a runny nose
It appears you do not even need to step foot in the country to be at the mercy of Arab police chiefs.
Brit property investor Caren Harmon was up against it when Emirates cabin crew accused her of taking cocaine on her flight from London to Johannesburg.
She was detained at Dubai airport where she was interrogated for three hours.
The 43-year-old claimed she was made to sign an Arabic form before being released.
Unpaid debt
The global hunt for a woman who failed to pay an eight-year-old security cheque showcases the lengths the country will go to by means of punishment.
Police chiefs drew upon international police agencies in their quest to find the unidentified Brit who defaulted on her debt.
They tracked her down in Italy where she was questioned and later detained under house arrest.
Italian authorities were deciding whether to allow a formal extradition trial.
The UAE was slammed for abusing world police organisation Interpol as most of the world does not treat defaulting as a crime.
LATEST FROM DUBAI
What has the Foreign Office said?
Brits are proportionately more likely to be arrested in the United Arab Emirates than in any other country, the Foreign Office claims.
Official advice urges Brits to familiarise themselves with local laws and customs on drugs, booze and dress before visiting the Arab country.
It also warns holidaymakers to be wary when taking snaps of government buildings and landmarks or feel the long-arm of the law.
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