Britons jailed, fined in Dubai beach sex trial

Two Britons were found guilty yesterday of having sex on a Dubai beach and sentenced to three months' jail followed by deportation.

Vince Acors and Michelle Palmer, who were also fined 1,000 dirhams (€203) each, had pleaded not guilty to charges of having sex in public and committing an indecent act in public, but admitted to an alcohol-related offence. The Briton's lawyer, Hassan Mattar, said he would appeal against the sentence.

As the tourism hub of the Gulf, home to man-made palm-tree-shaped islands and the world's tallest building, Dubai seeks a delicate balance between maintaining its Muslim identity and catering for foreign pleasure-seekers.

Expatriates comprise over 90 per cent of its population, attracted by tax-free earnings and year-round sunshine. There are frequent reports of foreigners falling foul of local laws in the United Arab Emirates that strictly control drinking and ban homosexuality and public displays of affection.