Dubai: An Irishman and a British woman were sentenced to three months in jail each for public nudity and getting sexually intimate in a taxi’s backseat while they were heavily drunk.
The Dubai Misdemeanour Court convicted the 27-year-old Irishman and the 29-year-old British woman of consuming liquor, getting naked in public and indulging in a sexually intimate situation.
Prosecutors accused the couple of public indecency, having consensual sex and consuming liquor.
Dubai Police’s forensic examiner confirmed that the woman did not have sexual intercourse soon before the incident in May.
According to the primary verdict, the court found the defendants guilty of removing their clothes in the back seat of the taxi, where they indulged in a form of sexual activity.
“The taxi moved around in public streets. The woman removed her clothes and sat face-to-face on the man’s lap. Meanwhile the latter removed his pants and opened his shirt then they hugged before the eyes of the taxi driver. A police corporal also saw them involved,” read the verdict sheet.
The convicts pleaded not guilty when they appeared in court. They denied cuddling, fondling and having sex in the taxi on Shaikh Zayed Road.
Meanwhile, their lawyer Shaker Al Shummari accused the Pakistani driver of fabricating the allegations.
“The 27-year-old indulged in a heated argument with the driver, who apparently took a longer route wanting to get extra commission over the fare. When the Irishman told the driver that he would report him to the police, the driver stopped near a police car and claimed that the couple undressed and had sex,” argued advocate Al Shummari. According to Thursday’s judgment, the couple were fined Dh3,000 each after they confessed to drinking. The defendants will also be deported after serving their sentences.
Prosecution records said when the driver spotted the couple making out, he pulled over in front of a police car and honked.
An Emirati police corporal claimed that he spotted the woman naked and sitting on the lap of her partner, who had his jeans pulled down.
The policeman claimed the couple was involved in a form of indecent movement that made him think they were having sex.
Advocate Al Shummari said in court: “The defendants are residents of Dubai and they know its streets well. The Irishman had a heated argument with the driver when he took a longer route. The malicious driver fabricated this unrealistic and illogical story because my client said he would report him to the police. The driver and the policeman gave inconsistent statements… meanwhile the fact that the couple gave similar statements has come to firmly refute the driver’s allegations.”
The policeman testified that it was 10.30pm when the taxi pulled over in front of his patrol and pointed at the couple in the backseat.
Thursday’s judgment remains subject to appeal within 15 days.
