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A British man and woman have been sentenced to three months in jail in Dubai
after being found guilty of having sex on a beach.
Michelle Palmer, 36, of Oakham, Rutland, and Vince Acors, 34, of Bromley,
south-east London, were arrested on 5 July.
They were fined 1,000 dirhams ( 160; $350) and will be deported after serving
their sentences.
Their lawyer says the pair is planning an appeal.
Palmer and Acors had denied charges of public indecency and having unmarried
sex but admitted consuming alcohol.
They were not at Dubai's Court of First Instance to hear the ruling but had
been ordered not to leave the emirate.
'Not happy'
Their defence lawyer Hassan Matter said the pair were upset but not surprised
by the verdict.
"They are not guilty but they were prepared for this," he said
He said he was hopeful the verdict would be overturned.
"I think I have a chance in the appeal court. I have 15 days to appeal. I have
to find the reason why the judge gave three months."
Acors and Palmer will remain on bail until their appeal is heard at the court.
Senior prosecutor Faisal Abdelmalek Ahli said he was disappointed at the length
of sentence.
"I'm not happy," he said, speaking outside court. "It's very light. It's normal
for a sentence to be six months to a year for an offence such as this."
Mr Ahli said he expected Acors and Palmer to serve their full three-month term
in a Dubai prison.
"Sometimes people serve half their sentence, but this is so short I expect they
will serve it all," he said.
'Kissing and hugging'
The pair were arrested on Jumeirah Beach hours after meeting at a champagne
brunch at Dubai's five-star Le Meridien hotel.
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A guide to acceptable behaviour in Dubai
A police officer told the court he had warned the pair about their
inappropriate behaviour, but returned later to find them having sex on a sun
lounger.
Palmer, who was sacked from her job in Dubai as a publishing executive after
her arrest, said in a statement she and Acors had been "just kissing and
hugging".
Mr Matter said witness statements, including one from the police officer, were
"wrong" and medical examinations had proved Palmer had not had sex on the
beach.
Friends of Palmer say she has been admitted to hospital in recent weeks
suffering from anxiety and depression.
The case has turned the spotlight on the lifestyle of the 120,000 British
residents of the United Arab Emirates.
The BBC's Christian Fraser, in Dubai, says there have been concerns lately that
tourists are ignoring the emirate's strict Islamic laws and that the outcome of
this case will be a warning that such drunken behaviour will not be tolerated
in public.