Friday, October 6, 2017

Scot facing three years in Dubai jail for ‘touching man’s hip’

SCOTSMAN faces three years in prison in Dubai after he touched the man's thigh, trying not to spill his drink in a crowded bar. 

The "cultural misunderstanding" left Jamie Harron, stuck in Dubai for three months, in prison, unemployed and in huge amounts of debt.

The 27-year-old Jamie spent more than £ 32,000 on costs and legal costs trying to resolve this issue while he was also deprived of his documents. The electrician, who from Stirling, Scotland, was in Dubai with a two-day stop when he returned to work in Afghanistan. He was held in the UAE since July 15 on two charges of drinking alcohol and public obscenity.

 And his family is increasingly worried about getting him home after his passport was seized when he was released on bail. The drama unfolded when Jamie drank with friends at the Rock Bottom Bar in Dubai, a popular place for young people in the Tecom area of ​​the city. Jamie and his friend bought their first drink in a crowded bar when he put a hand on the man's thigh to make sure they did not beat or pour their drinks.

The police turned around and arrested Jamie, who says that he was imprisoned without knowing it. He said that the prosecutor later told him that he was charged with drinking alcohol and "public obscenity". Jamie denies this last accusation, arguing that his only intention was not to spill a drink. But tourists who consume alcohol on licensed sites in Dubai, can still be arrested for consuming alcohol in their system ....

Most visitors are aware of this fact, and a number of British citizens have been caught by this controversial application of the law. After the initial arrest, Jamie was fired from his job in Afghanistan and now relies on the charity of friends for a living. He had to visit the court on Sunday. He said: "I'm really dumbfounded." I have witnesses who are ready to stand trial, even bouncing in a bar. "


"I can not believe that I am confronted with these allegations when I fully complied with the laws. "Now it is possible that I will be arrested on Sunday because I did not appear at a court hearing, which neither I nor my lawyer told me." After the arrest, Jamie spent in the notorious prison of Al Barsha, where he claims that he was not allowed to wash himself or brush his teeth.

He said that he was left in a "dirty smelling" cell with eight other nationalities sleeping on the floor with "one disgusting mattress between them." Jamie was detained, but his passport was confiscated so that he could not leave the country. He claims that he missed the "secret hearing" because he knew nothing about it. Jamie added: "Of course, if I knew that there was a change in the date of the trial, I would be there. "I waited for months to appear, and now it seems that I will be arrested when I go to the hearing. "This is completely unfair, and I can not understand how I can be sentenced for failing to appear when I was not even informed about the hearing." Radha Stirling, general manager of a detainee in Dubai, a British non-governmental organization heading a campaign to help him, said: "Jamie is under tremendous pressure and stress.

 "Jamie told the lawyer that he is at high risk of being imprisoned for up to three years. "It's pretty outrageous that it's been a long time in the country. "This is another example of how vulnerable tourists should be arrested and detained in Dubai, as well as how the trials are delayed and disorganized. "We have received a wave of new cases when British citizens are detained in Dubai, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office needs to increase travel warnings to citizens planning to visit or reside in the country.

"If Jamie is sentenced to imprisonment, he faces human rights violations and torture. "The High Court of England ruled against extradition to the UAE on the basis of" a very real danger of unfair trials and torture, "but the British government refused to increase warnings, mainly because of their financial and diplomatic ties with the UAE."

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