A British man who was sentenced to two years in jail after being arrested at a nightclub for taking cocaine has had his prison sentence overturned and a fine issued instead.
The 37-year-old was arrested in March after police were tipped off about his use of the drug. At Dubai Criminal Court in May, he admitted charges of possessing and using cocaine and, the following month, was sentenced to two years in jail, followed by deportation.
“After receiving information about him, we obtained an arrest warrant on March 11 and apprehended him as he was going into the nightclub,” said a police lieutenant, 24.
The Briton had cocaine in his shirt pocket. His car was also searched but no drugs were found.
He was taken to Al Barsha police station, where tests showed traces of cocaine in his system.
He later appealed against the court's verdict and won as Dubai Court of Appeal overturned the jail sentence and replaced it with a Dh10,000 fine. However, it upheld the deportation order against him so he will be sent home.
