Dubai: A man, who was involved in a series of public indecent gestures across Dubai, got arrested by the police thanks to a British beachgoer, who caught him on camera pleasing himself.
The 34-year-old British woman beachgoer was sunbathing at Jumeirah open beach when she spotted the 28-year-old Canadian suspect gazing at her awkwardly and satisfying himself in public.
Despite the fact that she warned him to stop acting in a lewd manner, the suspect continued his indecent gesture, according to the Briton’s statement.
The woman then grabbed her mobile phone and took a number of snaps of the defendant in action. As soon as he finished, the man dressed up and ran between a number of villas at the beachside. Then, he jumped into his car and disappeared.
The British woman complained to the police and provided them with the mobile phone snapshots that showed the man in action during May 2012.
Police records showed that there were more than three complaints of public indecency and breach of women’s privacy and modesty against an unidentified suspect.
Breakthrough
Dubai Police made a breakthrough in its investigations since the British woman provided them with the man’s photos. Police arrested the Canadian in February and forwarded him to justice.
Gulf News has learnt that the Dubai Misdemeanour Court sentenced the Canadian to two months in jail followed by deportation for committing an indecent act in public and satisfying himself in front of an Australian woman in Discovery Gardens. The defendant is currently serving his punishment but is expected to appear before the Appeal Court soon.
On Thursday, jailed wardens did not bring the Canadian from his Dubai Central Jail and produce him in courtroom 11. The judge adjourned the case until the suspect is brought from his detention and for his lawyer to present his defence.
The 28-year-old has entered an innocent plea.
Prosecution records said the Briton was enjoying her day at the beach side and sunbathing when she spotted the defendant hiding behind small cliffs and pleasing himself.
The woman claimed that she yelled at him from far and warned him to stop and when he refused, she took photos of him in the act.
Prosecutors accused the defendant with breaching the British woman’s privacy and modesty and committing a lewd act in public.
Dubai Police cooperated with Abu Dhabi Police and had the defendant arrested.
Defendant’s confession
“I went to spend the day at the beach. I saw the woman in her bikini and she was sunbathing. When she saw me touching myself, she stood up and walked towards me. She scolded me and cursed me as well… she also took snapshots with her phone. I ran back to my car and took off. I repeatedly touched myself in public in different areas across Dubai. I did it twice in Jumeirah public beach and once at Jumeirah Beach Residence and more than once at Discovery Gardens,” the Canadian was cited admitting during police questioning.
Meanwhile, the defendant denied his accusations and pleaded innocent before prosecutors and in court.
The British woman claimed to prosecutors: “I was shocked when I spotted him… he did not stop when I scolded him. There was a crowd of beachgoers when the incident happened. I asked him if he was crazy for doing what he was doing. I had seen him earlier but I didn’t report him to the police because he left when I scolded him.”
