British Couple on Trial in Dubai for Kissing in Public

A Dubai appeals court on Sunday rejected a British couple's appeal against their jail sentence for kissing in a restaurant in the city-state, the couple's lawyer said.

Photo: British Couple on Trial in Dubai for Kissing in Public

Their arrest late last year followed a complaint from a UAE national. Many Emiratis say they fear their conservative culture is under threat from the thousands of foreigners who have flocked to the city-state, lured by the promise of highly paid jobs.

The court sentenced the two, Ayman Najafi, 24, and Charlotte Adams, 25, to a month in prison, followed by deportation, for "public indecency," lawyer Khalaf al-Hosni told the German Press Agency dpa.

They were also fined 1,000 dirhams (272 dollars) each for drunkenness, al-Hosni said, informs The Earth Times.

Both now have 30 days to decide whether they want to appeal to Dubai's highest legal authority, the Court of Cassation.

But in chaotic scenes outside the hearing, a tearful Miss Adams, who attended court in a revealing white shirt and figure-hugging black skirt, told her lawyer she wanted to serve her sentence and leave Dubai "as soon as possible".

"I want to go to jail straightaway so I can get on with my life," she said, reports Telegraph.co.uk.