Brits Sentenced for Dubai Beach Sex

A British couple has been slapped with a three-month sentence for a drunken roll in the sand on a Dubai beach, the Guardian reports. Prosecutors say the pair—an expatriate woman and a visiting businessman—were spotted having sex on the beach after meeting each other at a champagne brunch that afternoon. The woman insists they were merely kissing and hugging.

The sentence has stunned tourists already uncertain about acceptable behavior in Muslim countries that encourage travel to their luxurious shores. The senior prosecutor said he will make certain that the couple—who have also been fined $300 and ordered to be deported when they get out of jail—will serve their full sentences. The pair, who admit being drunk but deny charges of public indecency and unmarried sex, plan to appeal.
(More Dubai stories.)