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UAE locals accused of having expats arrested for fun
| Published: | 24 Oct at 6 PM |
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The strange case of the Western expat sentenced to three months in a Dubai jail for touching a man in a bar is now being recognised as a popular sport for Emirati locals.
Scot Jamie Harron was arrested for ‘public indecency’ after he accidentally touched a local man on the hip whilst carrying his drinks through a crowded bar. Even although his accuser withdrew his complaint before the case got to court, Harron was sentenced to three months in prison – a sentence which was nullified later by the UAE’s PM Sheikh Mohammed. Harron was released, given back his passport and allowed to fly back to the UK, but the entire story gives a scary message to other Dubai-based expats.
The case has brought into focus a disturbing trend in the UAE which could have unfair and repercussions for many other expat workers. According to Harron’s lawyer Radha Stirling, it’s now a popular sport to use Dubai’s strict laws to land unsuspecting expats in jail for a few days. Locals, she believes, are using the laws as vindication if they believe they’ve been disrespected or offended by an expatriate. In this case, she explained, Harron’s accuser was showing off his supposed influence over foreigners in front of his friends and colleagues.
Stirling, a lawyer with for Detained in Dubai, informed local reporters the case has been dismissed due to the intervention of the ruling Sheikh, adding the allegations against her client were unwarranted and defamatory enough to force the country’s ruler step in and correct what was clearly a wrongful action on the part of the police prosecutor. Harron, she said, is considering bringing a civil suit against the businessman, who also accused him of making a rude gesture and drinking alcohol, even although his defence to date has cost him around £32,000 in legal fees and expenses.
Scot Jamie Harron was arrested for ‘public indecency’ after he accidentally touched a local man on the hip whilst carrying his drinks through a crowded bar. Even although his accuser withdrew his complaint before the case got to court, Harron was sentenced to three months in prison – a sentence which was nullified later by the UAE’s PM Sheikh Mohammed. Harron was released, given back his passport and allowed to fly back to the UK, but the entire story gives a scary message to other Dubai-based expats.
The case has brought into focus a disturbing trend in the UAE which could have unfair and repercussions for many other expat workers. According to Harron’s lawyer Radha Stirling, it’s now a popular sport to use Dubai’s strict laws to land unsuspecting expats in jail for a few days. Locals, she believes, are using the laws as vindication if they believe they’ve been disrespected or offended by an expatriate. In this case, she explained, Harron’s accuser was showing off his supposed influence over foreigners in front of his friends and colleagues.
Stirling, a lawyer with for Detained in Dubai, informed local reporters the case has been dismissed due to the intervention of the ruling Sheikh, adding the allegations against her client were unwarranted and defamatory enough to force the country’s ruler step in and correct what was clearly a wrongful action on the part of the police prosecutor. Harron, she said, is considering bringing a civil suit against the businessman, who also accused him of making a rude gesture and drinking alcohol, even although his defence to date has cost him around £32,000 in legal fees and expenses.
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