Five high-profile arrests in the UAE

Five high-profile arrests in the UAE

Many expatriates face jail terms in the UAE for crimes ranging from indecency to murder. Here are a few cases that caught international media attention.

August 5, 2009 1:57 by Aarti Nagraj

Thousands of expatriates faced time in jail or were arrested in the UAE in the last year, reports The National. More than 1,600 Indians, 300 Filipinos, 50 Nepalese and 25 Britons were imprisoned, their embassies told the newspaper. And according to the report, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said that 91 Australians have been arrested in the UAE since January 2008; Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs says 17 of its nationals are in jail here; and the US Embassy says that 20 Americans contacted it for assistance after arrest.

Here are some of the expatriate arrests made in the UAE in the last few years that had people talking.

1. The ‘sex on the beach’ case in July 2008 caught the world’s attention, and even began to influence the way people looked at Dubai.

Michelle Palmer, a British expat resident in Dubai, and UK-based Vince Acors were accused of engaging in sexual activity outside of wedlock on Jumeirah beach. Both were sentenced to three months in prison followed by deportation in October. However, in November the court suspended their jail term, and the two were deported back to Britain. They were also fined AED1,000 for drinking alcohol in public.

2. Another British case in the spotlight was the arrest of the radio DJ Grooverider in November 2007, after he was caught with 2.16 grams of cannabis at the airport. Although sentenced to four years in jail, he was released in September 2008 after receiving a pardon from the Dubai Royal Family.

Pages: 1 2

Tags: arrest, Chechen, Dubai, Dubai sex on the beach case, fraud, Grooverider, Mohammad Asif, Money, murder, UAE, Zack Shahin

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8 Comments

Amin on August 6, 2009 5:21 am

READ : The authorities were also criticized heavily by Shahin’s lawyers for blocking access to the site http://www.SaveZackShahin.com…………. Afraid of intelligence of readers….Or no confidence in the trust of public…..Guess, it takes years to break from this mode of thinking….Till then…..Keep Smiling !!!
mo on August 6, 2009 9:14 am

i can only rate this article as total crap from the journalism point of view, i know Kipp has nothing to offer but to Quote the gulfnews and the National everyday, but you guys make gulfnews looks like the NYT.
Mike in ireland on August 6, 2009 11:53 am

Come on guys this is all old crap. Can u not find something newsworthy to publish!!!!
When on leave we like to keep informed on what is happening not what has past
Raghda Helal on August 6, 2009 11:59 am

I think this article is a bias and a condescending portrayal of the UAE.
Basel A-Shaban on August 8, 2009 6:39 am

WOW…Cover Story. I read the comments made and I must agree, what in the world you guys are thinking?? This is not a cover story, this is “I am running out of ideas, I missed my deadline to submit my other good story, I need help not to lose my job STORY”. Give us a break.
Ravi Shankar on August 8, 2009 9:57 am

One noticeable feature of all criminal activities when ever an white skin man is involved, their sentences gets either computed or released immediately. In case the imprisoned person is from Asian Continent or Philphines, they do not get any such relief even if they are innocent. Once they are arrested probably atleast for anothe one or two years they are held in detention on some or other technical grounds.
Amin on August 9, 2009 11:23 am

Ravi Shankar – Though you sound pretty “racist” ( thats the way this word has come to mean in the english-speaking world as I know it) I cannot stop myself from saying: There is no smoke without fire somewhere…It is upto the concerned UAE authorities to decide if they feel worthwhile to address such perceptions…. they may choose to ignore as sometimes in the past…However, Ms. (I presume) Raghda Helal’s missing the point, or trying to close eyes on reality when she(or he if I was wrong earlier) says this article is a bias…The article lists some old (as some have commented…too old and rather not ‘new’ news for them, facts of criminal cases in UAE…So how can we view facts as bias ? Yes, you can think of the non-mention of achievements as one-sided view but the articles are titled and have to stick to them !
Keep Smiling !!!!
Doug on August 10, 2009 9:56 am

Nothing about Matt Joyce at Nakheel being found with his hand in the till?