<p>A British woman and Irish man accused of engaging in sexual activities in a Dubai taxi were sentenced on Thursday to three months in prison and then deportation, their lawyer said.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The case is the latest in which Westerners have fallen foul of the United Arab Emirates’ decency laws, highlighting cultural differences as the UAE seeks a balance between maintaining its Muslim identity and catering for a vibrant tourism industry.<br /><br />Rebecca Blake and Conor McRedmond both denied charges of “breach of honour with consent” and committing “an indecent act in a taxi” when they appeared in court last month. They also pleaded guilty to a third charge related to consumption of alcohol in public.<br /><br />“The court sentenced them to jail for three months and deportation in addition to a fine of 3,000 dirhams each,” their lawyer Shaker al-Shammary told Reuters. He said they would appeal.<br /><br />There have been several cases in recent years of Westerners accused of violating decency laws in Dubai, the most cosmopolitan of the seven-member UAE federation.<br /><br />In 2008, a British couple was found guilty of engaging in drunken sexual activity out of wedlock and in public on a beach in Dubai. They were sentenced to three months in prison followed by deportation but had their jail terms overturned on appeal.<br /><br />In 2010, another British couple were sentenced to a month in jail and fined for kissing on the mouth in a restaurant in Dubai.</p>
<p>A British woman and Irish man accused of engaging in sexual activities in a Dubai taxi were sentenced on Thursday to three months in prison and then deportation, their lawyer said.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The case is the latest in which Westerners have fallen foul of the United Arab Emirates’ decency laws, highlighting cultural differences as the UAE seeks a balance between maintaining its Muslim identity and catering for a vibrant tourism industry.<br /><br />Rebecca Blake and Conor McRedmond both denied charges of “breach of honour with consent” and committing “an indecent act in a taxi” when they appeared in court last month. They also pleaded guilty to a third charge related to consumption of alcohol in public.<br /><br />“The court sentenced them to jail for three months and deportation in addition to a fine of 3,000 dirhams each,” their lawyer Shaker al-Shammary told Reuters. He said they would appeal.<br /><br />There have been several cases in recent years of Westerners accused of violating decency laws in Dubai, the most cosmopolitan of the seven-member UAE federation.<br /><br />In 2008, a British couple was found guilty of engaging in drunken sexual activity out of wedlock and in public on a beach in Dubai. They were sentenced to three months in prison followed by deportation but had their jail terms overturned on appeal.<br /><br />In 2010, another British couple were sentenced to a month in jail and fined for kissing on the mouth in a restaurant in Dubai.</p>