The scene of the crime.

The British couple arrested for allegedly having sex on a public beach in Dubai last July has been sentenced to 3 months in jail by a UAE court. Michelle Palmer, a publishing executive who had resided in the Persian Gulf Emirate at the time of the incident, and Vince Acors, a visiting businessman from London were apprehended for were apprehended on a public Dubai beach after attending one of the infamous, all you can drink Champagne brunches that have become extremely popular with Westerners in the boom town. The couple was also ordered to pay a $242 fine and will be deported immediately after serving their prison sentence.

The case has put the Government of Dubai in an unenviable position as it tries to balance the strict traditions of the Islamic culture on the Arabian peninsula with the hedonistic pursuits of the Western businessmen and tourists the Emirate lures in its efforts to become an international destination.

At face value, the 3 month sentence for a little waterside sexy-time does seem harsh. But what’s gone unreported in the Western Media is that Ms. Palmer, in her drunken state, was alleged to have tried to attack the police that confronted the pair. I don’t care where you are, if you try to attack a cop, you’re going to jail for at least three months. Hopefully the incident will serve as a lesson to people partying in Dubai that if things start getting heated, it’s time to get a room, and preferably one with AC.

You can takepart in learning how to improve the lives of impoverished children around the world by logging onto Dubai Cares, a charity set up by the monarch of the Emirate, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum.

LINKS:

Daily Telegraph: British couple jailed for sex on Dubai beach

LA Times: Dubai: Sex on the beach, then prison

AP: Dubai: Britons get jail time for sex on beach case