英国情侣迪拜热吻被判入狱

Britons sentenced to a month in prison for kissing in Dubai restaurant

Ayman Najafi, 24, a marketing consultant who lives in Dubai, and Charlotte Adams, 25, an estate agent from North London, were said to have been touching each other and kissing passionately as they dined with friends in a beachfront restaurant.

They were arrested and sentenced to a month in prison after which they were told they would be deported.

But the pair told a hearing at the Dubai Appeal Court on Sunday that they were the victims of a "huge misunderstanding" and had simply exchanged a friendly greeting.

"We kissed each other on the cheek as a greeting, nothing more,” Mr Najafi told Judge Aysar Fouad. Miss Adams pointed at her cheek to show where contact had taken place.

The two are not the first Britons to fall foul of the strict laws in the conservative Muslim state. Last year Michelle Palmer, 36, and Vince Acors, 34, were sentenced to three months imprisonment for having sex on a beach.

The latest incident took place when Miss Adams and Mr Najafi met along with four other friends for dinner at Bob's Easy Diner on the beachfront at the Jumeirah Beach Residence complex on November 27.

The police were called at around 2am by an Emirati woman sitting at a nearby table with her children and claimed her daughter had been upset by the display of affection.

"My daughter told me that the accused were kissing on the mouth,” she said.

“Then I spotted them doing so myself. I also saw them touching each other, as they were seated two to three metres away from our table. A number of customers witnessed the scene as well.”

After being arrested, the two were tested for alcohol and shown to have been drinking, though the readings of 22mg/dl are less than the drink-drive limit in Britain.

At the appeal hearing on Sunday, their defence lawyer Khalaf al Hosany said the couple admitted kissing each other on the cheek but denied any intention to break the law.

“It’s part of their culture to kiss on cheeks as a greeting,” he told the judge.

But their pleas of not guilty to indecency were rejected and they were sentenced to a month in prison followed by deportation.

They were also fined 1000 dirham (180 pounds) for being in a public place after consuming alcohol – an offence in Dubai, though drinking alcohol itself is not.

Mr Najafi has lived in Dubai for 18 months, where he works as a consultant for the Hay Group, a marketing firm.

Miss Adams, 25, was visiting the country and staying with another friend.

Her flatmate Jade Christa Williams, acting as a spokesman for Miss Adams, said what had happened was simply "a huge misunderstanding".

"She is completely innocent and is looking forward to coming home soon to carry on with her life and put this behind her," she said.

The pair were released on bail and are awaiting an April 4 verdict.

相关中文新闻（摘自扬子晚报）

据英国媒体15日报道，一对英国情侣因在阿联酋迪拜一家饭馆内拥吻，上周被迪拜当地法院以行为不当罪判处1个月监禁和驱逐出境。两位当事人对此判决不服并提出上诉。

24岁的艾曼·纳杰菲和25岁的夏洛特·亚当斯去年11月27日在迪拜的一家海滨餐厅与朋友聚会时亲吻对方，两人随后被当地一名38岁的女性举报。举报人称，她和女儿坐在旁边的桌子上，看到这对情侣拥抱接吻、互相抚摸。她女儿对眼前的场景感到十分不安。

但艾曼和夏洛特坚称他们只亲吻了对方的脸颊，没有接吻，也没有不恰当的身体接触。被逮捕后，二人还因在公共场合饮酒每人被罚款180英镑。英国驻迪拜领事馆官员表示正在关注此案，并已为艾曼和夏洛特提供领事帮助。据悉，艾曼是一家英国公司驻阿联酋的市场营销顾问，已经在迪拜居住一年半。夏洛特则是一名游客。

另据英国媒体报道，每年约有110万英国人来阿联酋旅游，而去年有近300名英国游客在该国被逮捕或拘留。“接吻事件”发生后，电视台详细介绍了游客可能触犯的阿联酋有关衣着、饮酒方面的法规，希望游客避免因无知引来牢狱之灾。