The man who brushed up against another man in a Dubai bar, in an attempt to protect against drink spillage has been sentenced to 3 months in Dubai.
Jamie Harron from Stirling in central Scotland has today been imprisoned for 3 months following the complaints that Mr Harron had touched another man’s hip at a bar in Dubai.
In fighting his case, Mr Harron has lost his job and spent in excess of £30,000 on his legal defence.
Jamie was in Dubai, with a friend, on a two-day stopover from Afghanistan, where he worked as an electrician. Mr Harron claimed that he was trying to ensure that a drink he was holding did not spill on himself or others. He touched the other man’s hip in order to avoid an impact. He was arrested for public indecency and his passport was seized but authorities. In fighting his case, Jamie has spent in excess of £30,000 in legal fees. He has spent all of his savings and spent £12,000 on credit cards.
According to Detained In Dubai, leading experts in Middle Eastern Law, Mr Harron has yet to be sentenced for two other charges stemming from the case; that of consuming alcohol, and for allegedly making a rude gesture against Mr Tabaza.
He was previously sentenced to 30 days in prison for failing to appear at a court hearing the date of which he had not been notified of in advance.
Life in tatters
He has already spent several months stranded in the UAE over this case, lost his job, and is in danger of losing his home as he struggles to pay legal expenses.
Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, commented, “Now Jamie has been sentenced to 3 months; there is no telling whether a judgment on appeal will be better or worse. He has already suffered tremendously as a result of these allegations, and now faces the likelihood of incarceration. His family was unable to visit him during this critical time because they faced a very real risk of imprisonment themselves under the UAE’s cybercrime laws which forbid criticism of the government.
“At this point, Jamie will definitely be pursuing civil action against his accusers when he does eventually return home, as it appears that he will not be able to find justice in the UAE.”
Mr Harron, she said, is understandably distraught.
“He is angry, disappointed, and dreads what may happen next. He feels betrayed and exploited by the system, which did not investigate the reports of key witnesses in his defence and led him to believe that the case would be dropped. He can’t understand why a company like Neuman & Esser came out so publicly to repeat the defamatory allegations of Mr Tabaza, and he is intent on pursuing further legal action.”
Though the German company that employs Mr Tabaza, Neuman & Esser, claims that Tabaza sought to dismiss the case in August, Detained In Dubai says there is no documentation to support this, and Mr Tabaza has never appeared in court to request a dismissal.
A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said, “We have been in contact with a British man following his arrest in Dubai in July. We are providing consular assistance.”
