Parents’ anguish as son faces prison in Dubai for ‘touching man’s hip in bar’
THE parents of a Briton arrested in Dubai for touching a man’s hip have warned others to avoid the country.
Jamie Harron (right) with parents Graham and Patricia
Electrician Jamie Harron is facing three years in jail in the United Arab Emirates for “public indecency” after he placed his hand on a man so they did not spill their drinks in a bar.
As his trial approaches Jamie’s mother Patricia said: “I’m up all night worrying about what is going to happen in court.”
His father Graham, a caterer, added: “We are a very close family and it is killing us to think of him spending even three nights in jail, let alone three years.
Jamie has been held in Dubai for the last three months
People have to stop visiting that country
“People have to stop visiting that country. I think it is unacceptable that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office actually promotes the UAE to British tourists.”
Jamie, 27, from Stirling, has been held in Dubai for the last three months following the incident in June.
He has spent £32,000 in expenses and legal fees trying to resolve the misunderstanding and has been stripped of his passport and his job in Afghanistan.
He spent five days sharing a cell and one mattress with eight men in a notorious prison.