Scottish tourist jailed for touching man at Dubai bar – reports

A Briton accused of touching another man at a bar in the United Arab Emirates was sentenced to three months in jail by a Dubai court on Sunday, local newspapers reported.

State-linked daily The National said 27-year-old Jamie Harron from Scotland was arrested for allegedly touching the behind of a German expatriate, who reported him to police.

Media reports say the alleged sexual assault, which Harron has strongly denied, happened at the Rock Bottom bar – a popular haunt for the many well-heeled foreigners in Dubai.

Dubai, a tourism and trade hub in the Gulf, allows drinking in hotels and bars as it seeks to encourage foreigners to visit but has strict laws against homosexuality and public indecency.

Detained in Dubai, an advocacy group, said on its official Facebook page that Harron would appeal the verdict but that he had lost his job because of the case and was struggling to afford his legal expenses.