Dubai: A visitor has been fined Dh5,000 for cross-dressing by putting on make-up and wearing a woman’s outfit at Dubai Mall.
The British man, S.L., was disguised as a woman when police apprehended him on December 18.
The Dubai Misdemeanours Court convicted S.L. of cross-dressing despite having contended that he did not have any criminal intent.
The defendant told the court earlier that the dress he wore at the time of his arrest, is the way he normally dresses daily in London, where it’s permitted and normal, according to him.
When questioned by presiding judge Anwar Mahmoud if he had disguised himself as a female, the Briton said he wasn’t wearing a disguise, and that the dress he was seen in is his normal attire.
“The accused will be deported following the completion of his punishment,” said the judge.
During his trial, the accused contended that was the way he always dressed in London and that it was normal there. “The clothes in which I was caught at the mall are the same ones I had on me when I reached Dubai Airport ... but I was not told anything by the immigration officer. I was not told it is illegal. I was here on a visit and the next day was my return flight and I was at Dubai Mall to buy a box of chocolates for my friends back home,” S.E. said in courtroom 4.
When asked if he had make-up on, S.L. replied that when he arrived at the airport he had some cream on his face and that the customs officer didn’t tell him anything or stop him or warn him that it’s illegal to use cream on the face. He denied wearing make-up.
He denied having told interrogators that he had had a gender transformation operation and that he had changed his sex from a male to a female.
His lawyer argued that the defendant had no criminal intent and that he was unaware that the nature of his outfit represented a crime in the UAE, unlike in London.
