DUBAI: A 30-year-old British businesswoman and her lover are facing six years in prison after allegedly being caught twice having sex on Dubai’s Jumeirah beach.

Michelle Palmer, a publishing assistant with magazine publisher ITP, and her partner, a British holidaymaker known only as Vince, were initially cautioned by police, but then arrested after being caught a second time the same evening, the British media reported yesterday. The incident took place on July 5.

In a press statement yesterday, ITP said it had dismissed Palmer.

After being stopped on the second occasion, Palmer apparently began a tirade of abuse against the officer, referring to his Muslim faith, and tried hitting him with her high-heeled shoe before being restrained.

The couple have been charged with having sex outside marriage, indecent behavior in public, being drunk in public and assaulting a police officer.

The Sun newspaper said the pair had also organized a civil ceremony after being released on bail in a bid to reduce their jail terms.

Speaking to the British tabloid, Palmer begged the authorities in Dubai to show mercy. “Because this is known everywhere they’re going to make an example of us and we’re going to get a higher sentence. We are in so much trouble and my family and everybody are affected,” she said.

Following the arrest, Lt. Gen. Dahi Khalfan Tamim, chief of Dubai police, said the cases of public indecency in Dubai are isolated and not on the rise.

In order to curb nudity in public, the Dubai Municipality recently took the decision to put large signs on Jumeirah open beach, Jumeirah Beach Park and Al-Mamzar Park warning women, particularly tourists, against topless bathing and indecent exposure.

Officials say the decision follows complaints from locals about a growing number of women sunbathing and swimming topless.

Drunken Brit

Police arrested a drunken British passenger, who sparked a bomb panic on an Emirates flight from Manchester to Dubai yesterday.

An airport official said the passenger claimed there was a bomb on the plane after having an argument with one of the crew. “All passengers were evacuated upon landing, and the aircraft was searched thoroughly but no explosives were found,” the source said.

“We can confirm there was an incident involving a passenger aboard EK20 from Manchester Wednesday morning after it had landed in Dubai,” an Emirates official said.

“The captain immediately alerted the Department of Civil Aviation who took charge of the situation. The passenger is in police custody. The safety of the aircraft was at no time compromised. However, Emirates takes such incidents very seriously and will not tolerate disruptive passengers on board our aircraft. The comfort, safety and security of all our passengers is paramount,” he added.

In 2006 more than a million Britons traveled to the UAE, which is home to more than 100,000 British nationals.

— With input from agencies