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A British businesswoman who was arrested for having sex on the beach in Dubai will be jailed and deported if found guilty, lawyers in the Arab state believe.

Michelle Palmer, 30, will serve "years not months" in prison after she was allegedly caught twice on Jumeirah Beach.

Yesterday she was sacked from her role as associate publisher at Dubai-based ITP Publishing. The company said such behaviour by employees "would not be tolerated".

It is believed Palmer is under investigation for having sex outside of marriage, indecent behaviour in public, being drunk in public and assaulting a police officer.

The man she was with - a British holidaymaker - is also under investigation over the incident. Both have appeared in court once and have been bailed to reappear on a date to be fixed.

Palmer said she feared she would receive a lengthy sentence and was "panicking". Her fears were supported by a senior criminal lawyer in Dubai who said he believed that the defendant "would be made an example of".

On the day of the alleged crime Palmer had earlier attended a champagne brunch. There she met up with a British tourist and the pair went for a walk along the shore.

It is alleged that a police officer then spotted the couple having sex on the sand and let them off with a caution. But the same officer arrested them both when he returned soon after and found them still having sex. An assault on the police officer is then alleged to have taken place.

Palmer told the Sun newspaper: "Because this is known everywhere they're going to make an example of us and we're going to get a higher sentence. We are in so much trouble. I'm panicking."

Lawyer Tony Maalouli, managing director of Pro-consult Advocates and Legal Consultants in Dubai, said: "I would predict that she will get a long jail term in years not months and then she will definitely be deported."

He added: "Tourists and expatriates are lured here by the glitzy image; the beaches, the sunshine. But they sometimes forget that this is a Muslim country.

"Some things are tolerated, such as women wearing short skirts and dressing provocatively, but the authorities will crack down on people who abuse this tolerance."

A spokesman for ITP Publishing, which publishes business magazines, said: "All of our employees are handed booklets advising on behaviour, local law and customs. Michelle has been dismissed."

A Foreign Office spokesman confirmed two British nationals were arrested on Friday and that they were receiving consular assistance.

The spokesman was unable to confirm reports that Palmer could get between three months and six years in jail.



http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jul/1 ... publishing

I wish one day we can apply the same laws as in Saudi Arabia, At least animals acts will not be in Public

what did she expect? it was pretty f&*%ing stupid what they did.

uaebadoo wrote:I wish one day we can apply the same laws as in Saudi Arabia, At least animals acts will not be in Public

I for one would welcome that (less the mutawwa'in). But I think it will not be good for dubai's tourism.

pinoy1 wrote:

uaebadoo wrote:I wish one day we can apply the same laws as in Saudi Arabia, At least animals acts will not be in Public

I for one would welcome that (less the mutawwa'in). But I think it will not be good for dubai's tourism.

I agree with your point pinoy1 ,but , everybody should respect the law, this is not even allowed in western countries, Look at the mentality, they putting themselves above the law, no respect even to the police, enough of this sh*t in the country

I've not met anyone who has any sympathy for them, they got a warning, ignored it and now must face the full force of the law.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/ne ... 414337.ece

Read this and the local arabs who love Europeans more than their fellow arabs will realize they have been slapped in their face

It was very stupid of them and I think the authorities will be clamping down hard on people who misbehave.

Emirates should take stringent action to serve as warning for all such future crimes.

It brings a whole new term to the drink sex on the beach, and will leave a sour tatse in her mouth for many years to come...

^ Things like that, i.e. "unethical journalism", has been happening for a very long time. I wonder why the author cried about it just now.

Hi! All,

Ok! I didn't understand the love making part.

Do they walking and talking?

Or

Do they k*ssing and having s*x?

Yes they were 'allegedy' having s.e.x

People just can't handle their drink and don't know where to stop.

I also have to question the policies of the 'all you can eat and drink' brunches, nights out etc.

If you were in a bar, pub, club in the UK, they all have a policy of refusing to serve someone who is obviously drunk, in fact it's against the law to carry on providing alcohol to someone who is intoxicated. So why don't they do it here?

desert surfer wrote:http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1414337.ece

Read this and the local arabs who love Europeans more than their fellow arabs will realize they have been slapped in their face

Not quite sure I follow your reasoning there.
Personally I think that Dubai especially is begining to see the negative effects of promoting its self the way it does.

What's the saying, you can't run with dogs and not get bitten.

Well also the problem is now, Dubai is not an exclusive holiday destination anymore, so you get the bucket and spade brigade coming in.

Personally I hate the way alot of Brits act giving the rest of us a bad name, it's ridiculous.

Hi! ,

I saw a movie where a dog was trained to use bath room.

Now, now english people start having s*x on the street and their dogs in the home.

theories wrote:Hi! ,

I saw a movie where a dog was trained to use bath room.

Now, now english people start having s*x on the street and their dogs in the home.

Like ur mom let u loose browsing the internet without any supervision

desert surfer wrote:

theories wrote:Hi! ,

I saw a movie where a dog was trained to use bath room.

Now, now english people start having s*x on the street and their dogs in the home.

Like ur mom let u loose browsing the internet without any supervision

, What do you mean by that?

Not sure why this should in anyway say anything about the brits. Having said that my personal experience is that most of the brits are load and boisterous in the pubs....

Well she only deserves the highest punishment possible. By the way, would their act be considered against the law in UK itself?? Just asking

aliwrites wrote:Well she only deserves the highest punishment possible. By the way, would their act be considered against the law in UK itself?? Just asking

Absolutely, although the final punishment in the UK for such an offence would be less strict.
In the UK however there are special measures in place to try and ensure people don't go around having sex in public places, it's called the British weather. Too damned cold to get jiggy outside !!

The harshest measures need to be taken against culprits bearing in mind the Islamic nature of original culture of Emiratis.

aliwrites wrote:Having said that my personal experience is that most of the brits are load and boisterous in the pubs....

Damn right, baby!

Well on the flipside before everybody jumps the gun, lets bear in mind that they haven't actually been charged, nor convicted of the act yet - it's all ALLEGEDLY to this point.

guys ... unless there is a law suit from a persons , usually those things get solved between the countries officials and ends up freeing them with no charges..

it happened with locals in the US a number of times , minor criminal acts, but they got a push from under the table and ended up sending them back home only.

There is always the so called countries relations .

Nope in cases like this it doesn't happen. Look at Radio 1's Grooverider, he got 4 years for drugs, has not appealed his sentence, nor will the British government intervene.

Yanks are a different story they always 'know someone' to help them out, look at Dallas Austin!

Most of the time people get out on the Ramadan or Prophets birthday pardon lists.

The irony is, it's anti-social behaviour like this that contributed to a lot of us English expats leaving in the first place. England isn't the same place now that I grew up in.

But for all of you on the board quick to rush to judgement, take a moment to sit back and think about the 3 worst things that you've ever done in your life (and didn't get caught for).

Exactly.

With a face like that, she should be arrested for indecent exposure regardless of whether she had sex or not.

Seriously though,
Yes, I've done a lot worse, and I do feel sorry for her, but If you get caught, you cop the punishment without complaining.

The UAE gov are right to draw the line before things get out of hand.

If the UK gov were a lot stricter like the UAE, then maybe there wouldn't be the antisocial problems that currently exist.

I'm sure we've all done things we're not proud of, I know I have.

The thing that really gets me, is the stupidity of the couple in that they had a warning and didn't heed it.

Chocoholic wrote:Well on the flipside before everybody jumps the gun, lets bear in mind that they haven't actually been charged, nor convicted of the act yet - it's all ALLEGEDLY to this point.

That's right we shouldn't be jumping the gun. The court case will no doubt go something like this:

Prosectution: Your honour, "The policeman saw her on top of him, moving up and down".
Defence: "Yes, but did he check to see if the penis had penetrated the vagina??? No he did not, your honour!

Clearly you've never heard of simulated ahem s.e.xual stimulation.