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'Sex on beach' trial pair guilty Sex-on-beach trial Britons guilty
(about 1 hour later)
A British man and woman accused of having sex on a beach in Dubai have been found guilty. A British man and woman have been sentenced to three months in jail in Dubai after being found guilty of having sex on a beach.
Michelle Palmer, 36, of Oakham, Rutland, and Vince Acors, 34, of Bromley, south-east London, were arrested on 5 July.Michelle Palmer, 36, of Oakham, Rutland, and Vince Acors, 34, of Bromley, south-east London, were arrested on 5 July.
The pair denied charges of public indecency and having unmarried sex, but admitted consuming alcohol. The pair had denied charges of public indecency and having unmarried sex.
They have been sentenced to three months in jail. The offence could have carried a maximum of six years. They were fined 1,000 dirhams (£160;$350) and will be deported after serving their sentences.
Earlier, senior prosecutor Faisal Abdelmalek Ahli, of the Dubai Public Prosecution, said the pair were likely to be jailed for between six months and one year. The pair were not at Dubai's Court of First Instance to hear the ruling but had been ordered not to leave the emirate.
They have also been fined $350 (about £200) each and will be deported after serving their sentences. Their defence lawyer Hassan Matter had insisted they would be proved innocent and said they were upset by the verdict.
"We are making an appeal against the verdict. They have not been arrested and taken into custody yet," he said.
"I have 15 days to appeal. I have to find the reason why the judge gave three months."
'Kissing and hugging''Kissing and hugging'
The pair were arrested on Jumeirah Beach hours after meeting at a champagne brunch at the five-star Le Meridien hotel. The pair were arrested on Jumeirah Beach hours after meeting at a champagne brunch at Dubai's five-star Le Meridien hotel.
A police officer told Dubai's Court of First Instance he had warned them about their inappropriate behaviour, but returned later to find them have sex on a sun lounger. A guide to acceptable behaviour in Dubai
Miss Palmer, who has been sacked from her job in Dubai as a publishing executive, said in a statement they were "just kissing and hugging". A police officer told the court he had warned the pair about their inappropriate behaviour, but returned later to find them having sex on a sun lounger.
Hassan Matter, who represented the pair, had insisted they would be proved innocent. Palmer, who was sacked from her job in Dubai as a publishing executive after her arrest, said in a statement she and Acors had been "just kissing and hugging".
He said witness statements, including one from the police officer, were "wrong" and medical examinations proved Miss Palmer did not have sex. Mr Matter said witness statements, including one from the police officer, were "wrong" and medical examinations had proved Palmer had not had sex on the beach.
He said he would appeal the verdict. Friends of Palmer say she has been admitted to hospital in recent weeks suffering from anxiety and depression.
Friends of Miss Palmer say she has been admitted to hospital in recent weeks suffering from anxiety and depression. The case has turned the spotlight on the lifestyle of the 120,000 British residents of the United Arab Emirates.
The BBC's Christian Fraser, in Dubai, says there have been concerns lately that tourists are ignoring the emirate's strict Islamic laws and that the outcome of this case will be a warning that such drunken behaviour will not be tolerated in public.