Dubai jail sentence upheld for UK kissing couple

[April 20, 2010]  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- A Dubai appeals court has upheld a one-month prison sentence for a British couple convicted of kissing in a restaurant.

The two landed in court after an Emirati woman complained about the public kiss, which the couple insisted was just a peck on the cheek. They were arrested in November and convicted of inappropriate behavior.

Cosmopolitan Dubai has the most relaxed social codes in the conservative Gulf, but authorities still crack down on people accused of pushing the limits.

In a similar case, an Indian couple was sentenced to three months in jail for exchanging steamy text messages. In 2008, two Britons accused of having sex on the beach got three months in jail, though their sentences were later suspended.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.