Beach sex sentence 'may increase'

Vince Acors was in Dubai on holiday when he met Michelle Palmer

Two Britons found guilty of having sex on a Dubai beach could have their jail terms increased, their lawyer has said.

Michelle Palmer, 36, of Oakham, Rutland, and Vince Acors, 34, of Bromley, south-east London, were both sentenced to three months in prison.

But Hassan Matter said prosecutors had lodged an appeal, arguing the sentence was "not enough", and a judge would now have to decide whether to extend it.

Mr Matter has already lodged an appeal against the pair's convictions.

Both were found guilty of unmarried sex and public indecency at Dubai's Court of First Instance earlier this month.

They were also fined 1,000 dirhams (£160; $350) for being drunk in a public place and issued with deportation orders.

Champagne brunch

Mr Matter said on Monday: "The Dubai Public Prosecution made an appeal yesterday.

"They say the three months is not enough. They say it should be longer.

It's normal for a sentence to be six months to a year for an offence such as this Faisal Abdelmalek Ahli Prosecutor, speaking after the verdict Beach sex sentence 'sets example'

"It means the judge will now have to decide whether to increase their sentences."

Mr Matter said the prosecution appeal would be heard on 18 November at the same time as the defence argument against the convictions.

Palmer and Acors were arrested on 5 July on Jumeirah Beach hours after meeting at a champagne brunch.

After their conviction, a spokesman for the judge said a sentence of three months was "usual in these cases".

But senior prosecutor Faisal Abdelmalek Ahli said he was disappointed.

"It's very light," he said. "It's normal for a sentence to be six months to a year for an offence such as this."

Palmer, who was sacked from her job in Dubai as a publishing executive after her arrest, said in a statement she and Acors had been "just kissing and hugging".