THE ruler of Dubai has stepped in to free a Scot who was sentenced to three months in jail for public indecency amid claims he touched a man’s hip.
Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum made a special order for cases against Jamie Harron to be dismissed.
The 27-year-old from Stirling was arrested in July over the incident in which he said he put his hand on a man’s hip to avoid spilling a drink in a crowded bar.
Campaign group Detained in Dubai (DiD) said on Sunday that Harron had been sentenced to three months in prison, but he has now had his passport returned and is free to leave the emirate.
Radha Stirling, CEO of DiD, said: “We wish to express our deepest gratitude to Sheikh Mohammed for his personal intervention in this case, and for exonerating Jamie at long last.
“This was a courageous and honourable decision on the part of Sheikh Mohammed, and while it highlights the urgent need for judicial reform in the country, it is also a hopeful sign that the United Arab Emirates’ leadership possesses the will and vision to pursue such reforms in the future.”
Electrician Harron had been working in Afghanistan and was on a two-day stopover in the United Arab Emirates at the time of the incident, which led to a public indecency charge.
Harron was said to have been holding a drink moving through a crowded bar and held a hand in front of him to avoid spilling it on himself or others. He then “touched a man on his hip to avoid impact”.
He was initially jailed for five days and then released on bail.
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