Engineer jailed for blackmailing lover

Dubai: An electrical engineer has been sentenced to six months in jail for coercing his countryman to continue an alleged relationship with him by emailing indecent photos to the latter's family.

The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the 31-year-old Jordanian engineer, R.M., of using the internet to threaten his lover by sending his brother photos showing alleged intimacy with strangers.

Records said the photos were emailed to the brothers' family and friends in Jordan. Presiding Judge Maher Salama Al Mahdi said the defendant will be deported after the completion of his jail term.

R.M. was charged with possessing indecent photos of A.D. with the intent of threatening and coercing him to carry on their alleged homosexual affair.

"No, that's not true. I am not guilty. I did not threaten or blackmail him to do anything," argued R.M. when he defended himself in court.

R.M. and A.D. are being prosecuted for having alleged consensual sex before the Dubai Misdemeanour Court that will give its judgment on Thursday.

New residence

Prosecutors said R.M. threatened to humiliate and disgrace A.D.'s brother and breach his family's honour by emailing A.D.'s indecent photos to them.

Court records said the accused intended to stop A.D. from ending their alleged relationship after his brother moved him out of a sharing accommodation.

"I did not threaten to email the photos to his family. I did not email any photos to his brother," said R.M. when he defended himself before the Presiding Judge.

A.D.'s brother testified:. "The defendant's friends warned me to keep my brother away from R.M. I took my brother and we changed our residence. Afterwards, R.M. asked to meet me… he told me my brother is bad. My brother revealed to me that R.M. was blackmailing him with naked photos which he took ... once when he got drunk. My brother expressed his fears that the suspect might email the photos to our family and friends. Later I received an SMS from a Saudi mobile number asking me to check my email," the brother claimed.

Prosecution records said R.M. emailed A.D.'s naked photos and claimed he possessed 30 videos of similar content.