Wedding snub prompts indecent photo plot

A man tried to take revenge when his son's marriage proposal was turned down - by obtaining indecent pictures of the would-be bride and posting them on the internet.

AM, a 46-year-old Briton, ended his friendship with SJ, a businessman, three years ago when the latter refused to let his daughter marry the Briton's son, who had a bad reputation.

The Dubai Misdemeanours Court heard that the British man then pestered his friend MN, a 32-year-old Pakistani, to provide him with pictures of the businessman's daughter so he could post them on the internet.

The Pakistani recorded a phone call in which the Briton expressed his wish to obtain the pictures. He then played this to the woman's brother, who confronted AM over the phone.

The Briton threatened the Pakistani, saying he would report him to authorities as a member of the Taliban if he did not provide the pictures. On October 28 last year, he sent a text message threatening to ruin the Pakistani man's businesses and close down his companies.

Soon afterwards he called him claiming to be a policeman and threatened to frame the Pakistani if he went to the UK.

The Briton, who is on a visit visa, said he could not remember what he wrote in the text message and denied sending threats. However, the court found him guilty and fined him Dh3,000.

salamir@thenational.ae