Man fined Dh50,000 for insulting police patrol in Dubai

Dubai: The Dubai Court of Appeal has upheld a fine of Dh50,000 for a man who insulted a police patrol in a clip.

According to official records, the police patrol noticed a driver swerving suddenly while using his mobile phone in Al Barsha area.

As the patrol asked the driver to pull over on the side of the road, his friend on the back seat recorded a clip of him swearing at the policeman with the police patrol in the background.

The policeman testified that in July last year, he was patrolling in the area when he saw the driver busy with the phone while swerving suddenly.

He turned on the police siren asking them to stop when he noticed the defendant recording them from the back seat.

“I checked the driver’s licence and told him that he committed an offence. I asked the defendant if he recorded us and noticed he was under the influence of alcohol,” said the policeman in official records.

The defendant pushed the policeman when the latter tried to take the mobile phone from him.

The policeman took him to the police station for investigation.

Records showed the defendant recorded a clip where he insulted the policeman and sent it to his friend outside the country via Snapchat.

Dubai Public Prosecution charged the defendant with assaulting the policeman, illegally consuming alcohol and insulting the policeman in a clip using his mobile phone.

The Dubai Court of Misdemeanors cleared him from the assault charge and issued a Dh50,000 fine for insulting the policeman online.

The defendant appealed against the verdict, but the Appeals Court upheld the sentence.