Public kiss costs Briton a month in Dubai prison

A BRITISH man facing jail in Dubai after he was accused of kissing a woman in public has vowed to clear his name.

Ayman Najafi, 24, was expected in court today alongside a 25-year-old female British tourist to appeal against a one-month prison sentence.

In a phone call to his distraught mother, Najafi said: "I haven't done anything wrong. Hopefully I will clear my name and then I can come back."

The pair were allegedly seen kissing on the mouth in a restaurant, breaching Dubai's strict decency laws. They were arrested by police in November last year and appeared in court last week.

A judge at Dubai's Misdemeanours Court heard written evidence from a 38-year-old mother who initially complained to police about the alleged incident.

She said she was offended by their behaviour at the Jumeirah Beach Residence, where she was dining with her daughter.

The judge dismissed Najafi's claim that he had merely kissed the woman on the cheek and sentenced both defendants to a month in jail followed by deportation. The Britons were bailed pending today's appeal against a custodial punishment.

The Dubai authorities are holding their passports so that they cannot leave the country.

Najafi has been working for marketing firm Hay Group in Dubai for about 18 months. Speaking from the family home in Palmers Green, north London, his mother Maida Najafi said she had only found out about the jail sentence yesterday and was still in shock.

She said: "My Ayman is a good boy, he's very wise and mature. I can't believe it.

"I don't think it's true. He's not like that at all.

"He's been there for one and a half years and he's never been in trouble.

"He knows the rules over there. He would never do that. He wouldn't even do it over here."

She said she spoke to her son on the phone, adding: "It seems he is fine but I don't know. I was comforting him and reassuring him. I said 'We are behind you, you haven't done anything wrong'.

"He loves this country so he will be happy to come back. He's said so many times 'I miss London, I miss my friends.'

"He said 'I haven't done anything wrong mum, hopefully I will clear my name and then I can come back'.

"I can't believe they've knocked my confident young man like that.

"He's an unbelievable young man, strong, hard working, he is doing so well."

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that a British national was arrested in Dubai on 27 November. Consular assistance was provided at the time."

She said she had no further details at this time.

In January it was reported that a British woman who went to police in Dubai to report she had been raped was then arrested for having sex with her fianc.