Dubai: A former world champion in synchronised swimming was fined Dh1,000 for flying a drone that accidentally fell on a police car and damaged the side mirror.
The Dubai Misdemeanours Court convicted the 23-year-old Russian athlete of accidentally wrecking a police vehicle after she had pleaded guilty.
The athlete happened to be on a three-day visit to Dubai and she was flying the drone near Dubai International Financial Centre when the accident happened in May.
The defendant, who is a synchronised swimming coach in Moscow, was flying the drone for leisure when her battery charge died and she lost control over the drone.
The drone then accidentally fell from a high altitude and crashed on the side mirror of the police vehicle.
Police officers confiscated the drone and took the Russian woman to the police station where she deposited her passport and walked out on bail.
When she appeared in court, the 23-year-old admitted that she had mistakenly destroyed the police property.
The athlete, who had represented Russia’s team in international championships, had lodged an online request to have her hearing rescheduled at an earlier date.
In a previous hearing, the defendant had explained in court that she came here for a three-day visit. This incident made her run out of cash and that her visa had expired.
The 23-year-old told Gulf News earlier that the case had forced her to stay in the country for more than a month.
“I ran out of money … I could not renew the visa that was about to expire soon. I came here to spend a three-day holiday and I have not been able to leave because of this incident that happened accidentally … the battery died and the drone crashed down and broke,” she said.
The ruling remains subject to appeal.
