Briton jailed for touching man at Dubai bar - newspapers

[webfact]

Briton jailed for touching man at Dubai bar - newspapers

 

DUBAI (Reuters) - A Briton accused of touching another man at a bar in the United Arab Emirates was sentenced to three months in jail by a Dubai court on Sunday, local newspapers reported.

 

State-linked daily The National said 27-year-old Jamie Harron from Scotland was arrested for allegedly touching the behind of a German expatriate, who reported him to police.

 

Media reports say the alleged sexual assault, which Harron has strongly denied, happened at the rowdy Rock Bottom bar - a popular haunt for the many well-heeled foreigners in Dubai.

 

Dubai, a tourism and trade hub in the Gulf, allows drinking in hotels and bars as it seeks to encourage foreigners to visit but has strict laws against homosexuality and public indecency.

 

Detained in Dubai, an advocacy group, said on its official Facebook page that Harron would appeal the verdict but that he had lost his job because of the case and was struggling to afford his legal expenses.

 

"He is angry, disappointed, and dreads what may happen next. He feels betrayed and exploited by the system," said the group's head, Radha Stirling, who has been in contact with Harron's family.

 

(Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Dale Hudson)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-10-23

[jenny2017]

What a strange world we're living in. He really hit Rock Bottom. Why did the German not tell him to stop?

 

    Or did the German report him, because they both had been reported? One more reason not to go to such a country. 

[coulson]

So many people lose it all in a split second put there.

 

When you go to Middle East to work, you don't <deleted> around as you would at home.

 

[Luckysilk]

Learn the customs before you travel - you aren’t even allowed to touch a woman in public, yet these idiots still do it & get jailed for shagging on a beach there.

[yougivemebaby]

Dubai is an over rated poop hole. Who would want their freedoms taken away by traveling to a country that is bigoted and sexist? Sexual assualt is one thing. But being gay is illegal ? Anyone who chooses to go there on a holiday is supporting this nonsense. 

[darksidedog]

Possibly the only thing that could have made this story even more ludicrous would have been being sentenced to being stoned to death. Marvelous advert for Dubai, which has clearly warned everyone, is a lunatic place not to visit. Have to ask what was going on in the Germans head, to push the case this far?

[mark01]

Many people get a false sense of security and fairness with a modern, progressive attitude.

But underneath the glitz is the same Islamic laws and barbaric ideas that it's neighbours share.

 

Things can go wrong very fast there!

[LannaGuy]

Jeeze that is absurd!!!  probably drunk, maybe a joke?  total overkill by the authorities. Dubai is one place I avoid, many nutters there controlling freedoms. 

[jenny2017]

37 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

Possibly the only thing that could have made this story even more ludicrous would have been being sentenced to being stoned to death. Marvelous advert for Dubai, which has clearly warned everyone, is a lunatic place not to visit. Have to ask what was going on in the Germans head, to push the case this far?

The incident took placed at a bar in the Barsha Heights district on July 15.

The victim, who is of Jordanian descent, told Dubai Criminal Court that when he questioned Harron about touching his behind, the accused flashed his middle finger.

“I didn't say anything nor did I scream or insult him. I just called police, who arrested him,” said the 49-year-old manager, who had not met the accused before.

 

 More here:

 

   https://www.thenational.ae/uae/courts/scottish-tourist-jailed-for-drunkenly-touching-man-in-dubai-bar-1.669245

[coulson]

28 minutes ago, yougivemebaby said:

Dubai is an over rated poop hole. Who would want their freedoms taken away by traveling to a country that is bigoted and sexist? Sexual assualt is one thing. But being gay is illegal ? Anyone who chooses to go there on a holiday is supporting this nonsense. 

Most people go for the money.

[coulson]

10 minutes ago, car720 said:

Should be "go anywhere".

Not the case, almost everywhere outside the middle east is tolerant of minor acts that may cause distress to members of the public, and are not punishable by imprisonment.

 

Examples: 

 

Public display of affection.

Dress code.

Taking photographs of other people without their permission.

Being intoxicated (not disorderly).

Using profanity.

Dancing or playing loud music.

 

[bert bloggs]

From what i have read ,it seems it was not just a touch to fend someone off while he was carrying a drink , i doubt we will ever know the real story , but i assume that the guy is gay ,and offence was taken that he put his hand on the other guys bum ,

[KKr]

it was apparently an "so sorry" fiddle of the butt after bumping into someone (oh really ... ), and when being asked what the ...., giving the finger.
Depending on the situation, I might have been tempted to give a one-two in the stomach.

but there it still hope for this sod, although I do not understand how that will work:.
""Detained in Dubai, a British-based legal group, said his "lawyers say they will appeal" on Twitter on Sunday. ""
 

[alanrchase]

He knew what he signed up for.

[mduras01]

Whether one likes it or not, it’s their country and their laws. Western self-entitlement has no voice outside its borders. To touch a guys bum then give him the middle finger—surprised he didn’t get flogged too. He should consider himself lucky.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

 

[RichardinHuaHin]

3 hours ago, coulson said:

So many people lose it all in a split second put there.

 

When you go to Middle East to work, you don't <deleted> around as you would at home.

 

You mean like farangs here?  Riding motorcycles with no helmets, driving drunk, speeding, etc?

 

 

[coulson]

5 minutes ago, RichardinHuaHin said:

You mean like farangs here?  Riding motorcycles with no helmets, driving drunk, speeding, etc?

 

 

Everyone does that here, nothing to do with what I said in my post.

 

You are a lot more likely to land yourself deep in it in Middle East, for far less. So anyone with a brain shouldn't mess around.

 

Here, enough money and being polite can get you out of almost anything.

[EcigAmateur]

SOM ! Anybody who travels or live in "these countries" for any reason just deserve all what happened to them !

 

[RichardinHuaHin]

31 minutes ago, coulson said:

Everyone does that here, nothing to do with what I said in my post.

 

You are a lot more likely to land yourself deep in it in Middle East, for far less. So anyone with a brain shouldn't mess around.

 

Here, enough money and being polite can get you out of almost anything.

Well you said you don't <(&()@#@> around as you would at home.  Well i don't think most of these people would do these things in their home country either.  Just saying.

[RuamRudy]

29 minutes ago, EcigAmateur said:

SOM ! Anybody who travels or live in "these countries" for any reason just deserve all what happened to them !

 

Is that regardless of whether they bring misfortune upon themselves or are caught up as innocent bystanders?

[Tchooptip]

38 minutes ago, EcigAmateur said:

SOM ! Anybody who travels or live in "these countries" for any reason just deserve all what happened to them !

 

What a rotten reasoning!

[alex8912]

We will probably never know the whole true story but I wonder what would happen if a young guy put his hands on an older guys butt in a straight bar in Glasgow and when confronted gave him the middle finger? I'm not from there so maybe someone else knows. 

[pattayadgw]

STAY AWAY...... the place is NOT worth going to.

[EcigAmateur]

13 minutes ago, pattayadgw said:

STAY AWAY...... the place is NOT worth going to.

 

It seems that the greed push many to go there... until shit happens and they understand what they are.

 

 

[farcanell]

16 minutes ago, pattayadgw said:

STAY AWAY...... the place is NOT worth going to.

Amen to that!

[connda]

Obviously the Brit wasn't a fan of the Georgia Satellites:

"...don't give me no lines and keep your hands to yourself."

[RuamRudy]

10 minutes ago, EcigAmateur said:

 

It seems that the greed push many to go there... until shit happens and they understand what they are.

 

 

It seems that those who make fatuous statements without the ability to back them up commence their statements with "It seems that..." .

[thurien]

2 hours ago, car720 said:

Can't help thinking that maybe the German didn't like someone touching his rear end.  Not everyone in the world resolves things with their fists.

 

the "German" is a disguised Jordanian moron (see post #9)

[Get Real]

Sand, sand, sand and a bar, a hotel, and sand, sand, sand. Oh dear! Not wanna live and work there for all the money in the world.

[farcanell]

2 hours ago, mduras01 said:

Whether one likes it or not, it’s their country and their laws. Western self-entitlement has no voice outside its borders. 

 

Western self entitlement? Where do western borders start and end, pray tell? 

 

the guy was apparently apologizing for bumping into the Arab... (German of Jordanian decent.. with knowledge of Arabic law...refugee maybe.), which  ended with a friendly pat on the butt... how is that western entitlement?

 

Dubai puts itself out there as an international destination, for business and pleasure, and as such, should be more accepting of international mores and customs, allowing leniency for harmless incidents ( hell, is it even an incident?), especially those occurring in a crowded bar.

 

if they wish to play on the world stage, they need to be accepting of other world behavior... accepting of progress.... at days end, what really was this guy’s crime?....certainly not sexual assault... that’s absurd

 

A lot of actions are a learnt behavior.... learnt behaviors are virtually impossible to change ( hence the saying about a leopard not being able to change its spots)... alcohol will make one revert to learnt behaviors (on auto), and saying sorry with a friendly pat on the butt, is as far away from being a crime as I can imagine

 

Personally, dubai airport is as close as I allow myself to get to this madness, usually lacking rhythm and reason, and thankfully, those folk that I do deal with, within the airport, are almost exclusively foreigners ( certainly the polite ones)