Scot facing jail in Dubai over a 'cultural misunderstanding'
NC/GETTY Mr Harron was detained in July and is at high risk of jail
The “cultural misunderstanding” has left electrician Jamie Harron stuck in the Gulf state for three months looking at a possible prison sentence and in debt. The 27-year-old, from Stirling, has spent more than £32,000 in expenses and legal fees and had his passport seized after being arrested on July 15. He was in Dubai on a two-day stopover on the way back to work in Afghanistan and went for a drink with a friend at the Rock Bottom bar, popular with expats and locals. Mr Harron and his friend had bought their first drink when he placed his hand on the hip of the man to move him out of the way and avoid spilling drinks.
NC Jamie Harron is facing up to 3 years in a Dubai jail for touching a man on the hip
I can’t believe I’m facing these allegations when I followed the laws in their entirety Jamie Harron
Police arrived a short while later and he was charged with drinking alcohol and “public indecency”. Many visitors to Dubai are unaware they can be charged with having alcohol in their system and the interpretation of “indecency” varies from case to case. Mr Harron was due to attend court last Sunday but says the meeting was held in private without his lawyers being told. He said: “I’m really stunned it has gone that far. I have witnesses willing to present themselves in court, even the bouncer at the bar.
“I can’t believe I’m facing these allegations when I followed the laws in their entirety.” Mr Harron cannot leave the country and has lost his job. Now he fears his non-attendance at the recent hearing could make any punishment harsher. He said: “Of course if I had known there was a change in the court date, I would have been there. “Now it’s possible I’ll be arrested or failing to appear at a court hearing that neither I nor my lawyer were advised of.”
GETTY Many who travel to Dubai are unaware that they can be charged just for drinking alcohol