Press Association
Friday 10th February 2012
A British pair due to appear in court accused of kissing in public will have to wait until next month to learn their fate after their appeal hearing was postponed.
Ayman Najafi, 24, was set to appear in a Dubai court on Sunday alongside a 25-year-old female British tourist to appeal against a one-month prison sentence.
In a phone call to his distraught mother on Saturday, Mr Najafi said: "I haven't done anything wrong mum, hopefully I will clear my name and then I can come back."
A court has now set the appeal hearing for April 4.
They were allegedly seen kissing on the mouth in a restaurant, breaching Dubai's strict decency laws. They were arrested by police in November last year and appeared in court last week.
According to reports, a judge at Dubai's Misdemeanours Court heard written evidence from the 38-year-old mother who initially complained to police.
She said she was offended by their behaviour at the Jumeirah Beach Residence, where she was dining with her daughter.
The judge dismissed Mr Najafi's claim that he had merely kissed the woman on the cheek and sentenced both defendants to a month in jail followed by deportation.
The Britons were bailed pending their appeal against the sentence. It is understood the Dubai authorities are holding their passports so that they cannot leave the country.
Mr Najafi has been working for marketing firm Hay Group in Dubai for about 18 months.
