Traveller jailed for assaulting policeman at Dubai airport

The man "lost his temper" after his flight was cancelled and was asked to reload his luggage for X-ray inspection

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A traveller who assaulted a Dubai Police officer after he was told to reload his luggage on an X-ray scanner for inspection will spend three months in jail.

On July 25, the 53-year-old Australian man landed in Dubai from the UK, en-route to his homeland of Australia.

After being asked to reload his luggage on the X-ray scanner for inspection, the traveller refused.

“He was very angry and screaming, and he wouldn't let the officers search his luggage through X-ray. When I asked him why, he said he had a long flight and was tired and that he needed to rest before his next flight,” said a 28-year-old Emirati officer, who tried to calm the man down and convince him that it was just common procedure.

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After the passenger refused, the policeman reported the incident and was ordered to handcuff the man.
"When I got the handcuffs out of my pocket, he attacked me, grabbing me by my uniform then threw me to the ground," the officer said. "He fell on top of me and resisted me so hard but I managed to restrain and handcuff him."
The defendant said he was angry that his flight to Sydney had been rescheduled for the next day.
"I boarded the plane and, four hours later, the captain apologised and said the flight was cancelled and we can book another one through Abu Dhabi," said the accused.
He said that as he was leaving the airport for a hotel, he put his luggage on the X-ray scanners but the inspector was allegedly not paying attention to the screen and asked him to load his bags again.
"I was angry, so I refused to put them on again and walked out, not paying attention to what the officer was saying," he said.
The defendant told Dubai Criminal Court that he suffered from hypertension and the delay to his flight caused him further stress. He said he lost his temper after being told he would be handcuffed.

“I told them I was an Australian citizen and I have my rights, then I screamed at them,” the man said.

While locked in the room, the man allegedly used a key to hurt himself but when asked about the incident in court, he said he did not mean to end his life.

"I'm sorry for what I have done," the defendant said.
An attempted suicide charge was dropped but the man was convicted of assaulting a police officer and will be deported after serving his term.