Sentence against British couple for kissing upheld

Dubai's appeals court on Sunday upheld the one-month sentence awarded to a British couple, accused of kissing in public, weeks after two Indians were sentenced for exchanging lewd text messages here.

Marketing executive Ayman Najafi (24) and tourist Charlotte Adams (25) were convicted in January and sentenced to a month in jail, followed by deportation. They were also fined $272 for consuming alcohol.

The couple, out on bail, can mount a final legal challenge with a higher cassation court, the defendants' lawyer Khalfan Al-Hosani said.
“Not much of a chance”

“There isn't much of a chance, but it's worth a try,” he told journalists. He said his clients haven't yet decided whether to appeal or not.

Mr. Najafi and Ms. Adams were arrested after an Emirati woman and her family filed a complaint on November 28.

She claimed the couple was kissing and touching each other in front of her children at a diner in the Jumeirah Beach Residence.
Kissed as a greeting

Mr. Najafi and Ms. Adams admitted to drinking alcohol, but claimed they had kissed each other on the cheek as a greeting.

Their lawyer told the judges that the 38-year-old Emirati woman — currently the only adult witness in the case — had presented different testimonies to police and the public prosecutors. In 2008, two Britons accused of having sex on the beach were awarded three months in jail, though the sentence was suspended later.