Jail time for 'sex' in taxi

When you are in a foreign land, respect their idiosyncrasies and of course their law. How many Nigerians for instance know that you can go to jail for one month if you pucker up to your wife in a restaurant in Dubai? Yeah, that’s right.

So, imagine what will happen if you are caught pants down with a member of the opposite sex in a public place. You are asking for it.

A British woman and Irish man recently accused of engaging in sexual activities in a Dubai taxi have now been sent to jail for three months after which they will be deported.

Rebecca Blake and Conor McRedmond both denied charges of "breach of honour with consent" and committing "an indecent act in a taxi" when they appeared in court last month. They also pleaded guilty to a third charge related to consumption of alcohol in public.

"The court sentenced them to jail for three months and deportation in addition to a fine of 3000 dirhams (R7300) each," their lawyer Shaker al-Shammary said.

Granted that United Arab Emirates is the most liberal of the seven-member UAE federation; granted it wants to be seen as a tourist haven and throws its doors open to all and sundry;  still, the country frowns on acts that fly in the face of their Muslim identity.

So, brothers and sisters, be careful.