A UK citizen has been sentenced to three months in jail in Dubai after “insulting” airport staff who were slow to bring his mother a wheelchair.
The unnamed man was originally issued a Dh 10,000 (£2,150) fine, but his appeal against this failed and his punishment was extended to a jail term on 6 November.
An airport employee told the court that the man swore at her after she had explained the airport’s wheelchair policy to him, telling him that “a wheelchair would be made available before boarding the bus”.
“When I tried to explain it to him, he insulted me using very bad language. I told the traveller that using such offensive language is not allowed at Dubai airport but he responded that he didn’t care.”
The employee then called the police, and a case was filed against the man in Dubai’s Criminal Court. Following an appeal, which he lost, the fine was escalated into a jail sentence, followed by immediate deportation.
Why do people still visit Dubai? There’s all kinds of harmless or relatively minor stuff that can get you thrown in prison there. I wouldn’t even change planes in that theocratic shithole.
I was told that they have cheap stuff in duty-free and the flights are cheaper than with some other transits.
But I agree with the sentiment, it’s probably not the best thing to support them by visiting and leaving your money with them