DUBAI // A man who used personal photographs to blackmail, extort and threaten his wife into agreeing to a moneyless divorce has been sentenced to three years in prison.
It took only two weeks for the Egyptian couple's marriage to begin to dissolve after they were wed in July 2011. The trouble started when the wife refused to take out a bank loan in her name so her husband AM could buy a new car.
She told the prosecutors AM sent emails containing photos of her to colleagues, saying in the mails she had become a dancer. He also posted naked pictures of her on Facebook, she said.
After filing for divorce, AM wanted his wife to waive her rights under Shariah law to alimony and the return of her dowry. If she did not, he said he would turn her life upside down and dishonour her before her colleagues and relatives.
AM denied all charges when Dubai Criminal Court accused him of threatening, blackmailing and extorting his divorcee. He was also charged with abusing the internet and violating family values by posting photos of the woman on Facebook while she was still his wife.
The court fined AM Dh10,000 and ordered him to pay a temporary compensation of Dh21,000 to his ex-wife.
He will be deported after completing his jail term.
salamir@thenational.ae
