Caught on camera: Dh352 body creams land woman in Dubai court

Dubai: A woman of Arab nationality has been sentenced to one month in jail, suspended for three years, and fined Dh253 after being convicted of shoplifting beauty products worth about Dh352 from two well-known retail stores.

The ruling, issued by the Dubai Criminal Court, followed an investigation that found the defendant had stolen two body cream containers, two perfume bottles and a hair clip. She was identified through CCTV footage and detained by a security guard at the second store, who alerted the police, Emarat Al Youm reported. 

According to police records, the woman initially admitted to the theft, saying she had been unable to resist the temptation of the branded products and lacked sufficient funds to pay for them. 

During questioning by prosecutors, however, she denied any intent to steal, claiming the items were taken by mistake.

She later reversed her position before the court, confessed to the offence and asked for leniency, citing the absence of any prior criminal record.

The court dismissed her earlier denial as an attempt to evade responsibility but opted to exercise judicial discretion. It handed down a one-month prison sentence with suspended execution for three years, alongside a fine, concluding that leniency was warranted under the circumstances.