Elderly British expat in Dubai banged up for touching security guard

Would-be expats heading to Dubai should take note of the increasing numbers of Western expats being accused of breaching the emirate’s strict Islamic laws.

Dubai has been a popular destination for expat professionals for several decades due to its high, tax-free salaries and luxurious lifestyle, but the increasing reports of harsh treatment for expats should give those considering the location cause for concern. The latest media report focuses on a 52-year old British grandfather living and working as an operations manager for the iconic Burj Khalifa building.

Londoner John Murphy has now spent six weeks in prison in Dubai for alleged sexual assault, after accidentally touching a security guard on the hip. Murphy, his wife and her sports masseuse cousin were spending an evening at the Armed Forces and Officers’ Club in Abu Dhabi when a hotel employee got the idea the cousin was there to give massages without permission from the hotel management. An argument ensued, with the British trio attempting to explain no such thing had been intended.

Security got involved and a manager and a guard turned on Murphy, causing him to fear he was about to be assaulted. Using a trick he’d learned from his father, he tugged the larger guy to the left by his jacket and pushed his right hip back. The manouver,allowed him to get past the guard and join a crowd at the lift. Murphy went straight to his hotel room, hoping he’d defused the situation. No-one from the hotel contacted him regarding the incident, but he was advised to report it to the police as a complaint about the hotel.

Later that day, police arrived at his workplace and arrested him, saying the guard had complained about a sexual assault. He was kept for ten days in a cell, then hauled to a court hearing entirely in Arabic, after which he was sent to the notorious Al Wathba prison. He’s now out on bail, awaiting a sentencing hearing next week, with a possible sentence of up to three years.

Murphy’s present situation strongly resembles that of another Brit accused of sexual assault after brushing past a male Arab in a bar. According to Detained in Dubai’s CEO Radha Stirling, the sexual assault accusation is routinely used by Arab men against Western expats. The previous case was finally dropped, with Sterling telling reporters that the UAE’s attempts to popularise itself as a tourist destination are at risk unless serious judicial reform takes place. The promotions of the emirates as safe, modern countries both for visitors and incoming expat professionals are under threat every time a case of this type hits the world’s media outlets.