Beach sex couple in Dubai will sue local papers

Lawyer Hassan Matter (middle) said evidence convicting Palmer and Acors is not strong

DUBAI (Ahmed al-Sharif)

The British couple who became protagonists in the infamous Dubai sex on the beach drama said they plan to sue several papers over offensive coverage of the highly publicized story that captured attention throughout the country.

Michelle Palmer, 37, and Vince Acors, 34, said through their lawyer they will file lawsuits against newspapers that covered their case in a way that tarnished their image and will demand financial compensation.

Couple remain in Dubai Their lawyer, Hassan Matter, did not specify the names of papers he will sue or the amount of monetary damages sought, specifying only that they have been widely circulated and the compensation will be beyond their financial capacity. When asked why Palmer and Acors are still in the country after the expulsion verdict, Mattar said his clients are considering submitting a request to revoke the ruling passed after they were found guilty of committing public indecency, having sex outside wedlock, and assaulting a police officer. In a highly publicized case the two were arrested in October after a police officer caught them having sex on a public beach, despite initially letting them off with a warning, a drunk Palmer assaulted the officer and called him a "f***ing Muslim ****."

Evidence of indictment not story " This proves how fair the U.A.E judiciary is. It does not discriminate between defendants based on their nationalities and was not influenced by the falsities published in papers. " Hassan Mattar, lawyer of Palmer and Acors Mattar said he decided to take the case because the incident took place at night and the witnesses were standing at a distance from the couple and could not clearly make out whether they were actually having sex. Mattar said that at first he refused to defend the couple, but after reviewing the case he felt the evidence used to indict them is not strong. His investigation also led him to believe that Palmer had a good reputation and never broke the law during her sojourn in the U.A.E. "Even if they did that (sex), we have to be merciful. Their culture permits it and the concept of public indecency differs from one society to another," he said. Mattar praised the Dubai court of appeals for dropping the three-month jail sentence against the couple, a step he described as "rare and historic." "This proves how fair the U.A.E judiciary is. It does not discriminate between defendants based on their nationalities and was not influenced by the falsities published in papers." Mattar argued that the suspension of the jail sentence is almost like a not guilty verdict since it means the two Britons were not actually engaged in a public sexual act.

Moral and financial damage claims The moral and financial damage inflicted upon the couple was severe, he added, noting that Palmer was sacked from her job as a publishing executive following the case. Since her picture was plastered all over the newspaper she could not go out and she was not able to see her sick mother in the U.K. because of the travel ban during the trial. As for Acors, the project he came to Dubai for was suspended and his business back in the U.K. suffered because he had to stay for the trial, said Mattar. (Translated from Arabic by Sonia Farid)