British tourist jailed in Dubai for touching man’s hip freed

A British tourist who faced three months in prison after accidentally touching a man's hip in Dubai has been told he is free to leave following an intervention from the emirate's ruler.

Campaigners said charges against Jamie Harron, 27, had been dismissed and his sentence overturned at the order of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, The Independent reports.

The electrician, from Stirling, Scotland, was sentenced for public indecency on Sunday after being arrested in July. He is said to have touched a businessman on the hip to steady himself and avoid spilling a drink as he brushed past him in a crowded bar.

Campaign group Detained in Dubai, which has been supporting Mr Harron, said police called him on Monday morning and told him his case "has been dismissed and he can pick up his passport and is free to leave".  Mr Harron later collected his passport and was making arrangements to return to the UK, the group added.

The electrician was arrested during a two-day stopover in the United Arab Emirates after working in Afghanistan. He since lost his job because of his detainment. 

The Justice4Jamie campaign group wrote on Facebook: "Jamie was contacted by the police this morning, and was informed that the government had intervened in his case. Apparently the charges have been dismissed and the sentence against him nullified. He was told to come to the police station to collect his passport."

Campaigners were initially fearful Mr Harron, who had vowed to appeal the sentencing, might be lured into "a trap" and detained again by police as he collected his passport.

Radha Stirling, chief executive of Detained in Dubai, said: “He was understandably nervous as similar calls from the police in other cases were merely tactics to lure individuals into police custody. But when Jamie arrived at the police station, his passport was returned, and he was told that he was free to go. The charges were dropped, the sentence annulled, and he faces no order for deportation. This came by direct order from Sheikh Mohammed.”