'Sex-on-beach' couple launch appeal

Nov 18 2008

Lawyers representing a British couple who had sex on a Dubai beach are beginning a bid to overturn their conviction.

Michelle Palmer, 36, of Oakham, Rutland, and Vince Acors, 34, of Bromley, south east London, are expected to appear at Dubai's Court of Appeal.

The pair were arrested in the early hours of July 5 after a police officer saw them having sex on Jumeirah Beach. They had met earlier at a champagne brunch at a five-star hotel on the emirate.

Hassan Matter, who is representing Palmer and Acors, said the case would not be concluded straight away and the judge would make a decision at a later date.

Palmer and Acors were sentenced to three months in jail and deported after being found guilty of having unmarried sex and public indecency.

They were also fined 1,000 dirhams (£155) after admitting being drunk in a public place.

Both remain on bail in Dubai as they fight to overturn their convictions.

Prosecution lawyers will also make representations at the hearing, calling for the sentence to be lengthened. Following the British pair's conviction, Faisal Abdelmalek Ahli said he was "not happy" at the punishment.

"It's very light," he said. "It's normal for a sentence to be six months to a year for an offence such as this."

Palmer was sacked from her job as a publishing executive after the allegations emerged. Friends say the stress of the proceedings has left her "in bits".