Dubai: A housewife and her hairdresser were sentenced for seven months in jail for staying the night at the woman’s flat and consuming liquor.

The Dubai Misdemeanor Court convicted the 28-year-old woman and the 33-year-old Lebanese man of motivating each other to commit a sin by spending the night under one roof without being related.

Prosecutors had charged the defendants with having consensual sex and drinking alcohol.

However, presiding judge Mohammad Aayyad modified the charge from having consensual sex to encouragement to commit a sin and handed them a six-month prison. They were also sentenced to one month in jail for having liquor.

“The accused will be deported following the completion of their punishments,” said Aayyad in courtroom 11 on Thursday.

The woman’s Jordanian husband claimed that he spotted the Lebanese man in his underwear in bed with his wife around 6.30am.

The defendants had denied hugging and having extramarital sex or indulging in any sexual activity.

After the court modified the accusation, the defendants admitted that the Lebanese spent the night at the woman’s flat but again denied that they had sex.

The man claimed that the woman invited him to stay over because she was sick.

Defence lawyers provided the court with a written waiver from the husband, who said he did not want to ruin his marriage and that he had reconciled with his wife.

Records said the husband has two wives and that he was shocked when he walked in on the defendants sleeping in his marital bed.

“I was shocked and shouted at them,” said the husband. “I hit my wife and the stranger. They pulled away the phone from my hand when I tried to call the police.”

Records said the husband dragged a knife from the kitchen and rushed back to the bedroom where he believed the suspects had sex.

“I did not use the knife,” the husband said. “I beat my wife with my arms and kicked her. I was extremely aggravated, and then the stranger begged me not to report him to the police. Meanwhile, my wife ran away. My wife’s Indian workmate told me that the stranger worked as a coiffeur in the same building of their company.”

The wife testified that she became friends with the hairdresser because she used to be his client. The woman also admitted that they went out to coffee shops and restaurants, watched movies and he visited her in her flat several times.

Defence lawyers contended before the court that their clients did not have any criminal intention.

Thursday’s judgement read: “The couple should not have stayed together under one roof or in the same bedroom. The defendants were not related or married... and the woman is married. The court believes that the defendants committed an act that could have stimulated them to commit a sin. The housewife admitted that she hosted the Lebanese five times at her place while her husband was away. They also admitted staying in the same room and consumed liquor as well.”

Court records said the husband pardoned his wife and wanted to save his marriage.