Net time you try and slide through a crowded room, make sure that action isn’t illegal in the country you’re partying in at the time. One poor Scottish man is realizing that you can’t maneuver through a pub in the Middle East like you can in the rest of the world.
A Scottish man is reportedly facing three years behind bars in Dubai for accidentally touching a man’s hip in a bar. Through a representative for the defendant, 27-year old electrician Jamie Harron described the scene. He’d been trying not to “bump and spill drinks” as he walked through the bar when he touched another patron. Dubai authorities arrested Harron for public indecency and drinking alcohol.
Harron’s case is not a new one since he has reportedly been in Dubai for the past three months trying to fight the charges, during which he has lost his job and spent tens of thousands on legal fees. He was initially locked up in Al Barsha prison for five days. He has reportedly been forced to spend more than £30,000 in expenses and legal fees. After the arrest, he was released on bail, but his passport was confiscated. Just this week, he was sentenced to 30 more days in jail, apparently because he missed a court hearing he and his lawyer knew nothing about.
Do we cross off Dubai for possible places to travel to? Or do we just need to watch our hands when we glide through a pub?
It is illegal in Dubai to have alcohol in your system. Tourists who consume alcohol at licensed venues can still be arrested for having alcohol in their system. Most tourists are not aware of this fact.
