British woman and Irish man face Dubai jail time and deportation

A businesswoman and a man are accused of having sex in the back of a taxi

17:08 22 November 2012

The courts in Dubai have sentenced British woman Rebecca Blake, and Conor McRedmond, from Ireland, to three months in prison following the pair being accused of ‘engaging in sexual activities’ in public. The allegations are said to have taken place in the back of a taxi.

 

Both parties have denied the charges against them, which include “breach of honour with consent” and also having committed “an indecent act in a taxi”. They appeared in court last month to face the charges.

 

The two are thought to be being represented by the same lawyer, who has explained that post their jail time they face deportation. In addition they have both been fined.

 

Ms. Blake, reportedly a recruitment consultant, and Mr. McRedmond faced conviction despite DNA tests being carried out which have supposedly come back negative – stating that there was no evidence of intercourse.

 

The United Arab Emirates' (UAE) has certain rules on decency, and if these are broken there are certain punishments.

 

A British couple were found guilty of breaking these rules in 2008, after they were accused of engaging in sexual activity on a Dubai beach outside of wedlock. They also faced three months jail time, which was removed following an appeal.

 

It is thought that 9/10 of the UAE’s general population are expatriates.