Beach couple face court to appeal indecency conviction

DUBAI// Two Britons found guilty of indecency on a public beach in Dubai faced court yesterday to appeal their convictions. Michelle Palmer, 36, and Vince Acors, 34, denied in the Dubai Appeal Court that they had sex out of wedlock in public or that they committed a scandalous public act. They admitted drinking alcohol. The pair were made to wait in court until the end of the session, when the judge extended their bail until his ruling on Nov 25. The defendants were caught together on Jumeirah Beach in July and charged with public indecency, illicit relations and intoxication in public. Both were sentenced to three months in jail by the Dubai Misdemeanors Court in October. They were fined for drunkenness and will be deported after serving their sentence. Shortly after they registered their appeal, the public prosecution filed its own appeal and asked the Dubai Appeal Court to pass a tougher sentence against the pair. Palmer and Acors could be jailed for up to a year if the appeal court judge finds in favour of the prosecution. hbathish@thenational.ae