A British visitor to Dubai has been freed from jail after his three-month sentence for public indecency was quashed.
Jamie Herron, from Sterling in Scotland, was found guilty on Sunday of public indecency after touching another man’s hip in a crowded bar in July.
However, yesterday the ruler of the Emirate Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum was said to have intervened in the case and Herron was freed and allowed to leave the country.
The group that has supported the 27-year-old electrician during his four-month ordeal during which he has lost his job and faces expensive legal bills, says it now hopes the case will lead to judicial reform in Dubai.
Radha Stirling, the chief executive of Detained in Dubai, told The Guardian: “We wish to express our deepest gratitude to Sheikh Mohammed for his personal intervention in this case, and for exonerating Jamie at long last.
“It has now been established that the allegations against Jamie were entirely unwarranted, defamatory and meritless, to such an extent that the ruler of the country found it necessary to step in and correct the wrongful action of the public prosecutor and to quash the judgment of the court.
“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 UAE’s leadership possesses the will and vision to pursue such reforms in the future.”
The Herron case has again raised concerns about strict laws in Dubai that outlaw many behaviours in public that are considered acceptable in the west.
Around 1.5 million Brits visit the United Arab Emirates every year with Dubai in particular established as a favourite among holidaymakers.
Herron, who was on a short stopover in Dubai after working overseas in Afghanistan, was arrested after a German businessman complained that he touched him.
He later withdrew his complaint but local prosecutors continued with the case. He was also given a 30-day jail term for being drunk and making a rude hand gesture.
In a statement, he said: ‘No one should go through what I went through.
“Yesterday, I faced months in a Dubai prison cell. Today, I was phoned to say I could collect my passport.
“The past few months have been up and down and full of worry for everyone. I am arranging flights back home now and can’t wait to see my family.
“It’s going to take me a while to recover. It is hard for my friends to imagine what was going through my head when I was told I would be jailed for months.
“I am struggling to come to terms with being released but will be having dinner with my friends tonight before I leave for good.”