Hi °C | Lo °C AN Irishman convicted of having sex in the back of a taxi in Dubai had his jail term reduced in court yesterday to two months – but appeal judges refused to throw out the case, writes Tahira Yaqoob.
Conor McRedmond (29) is now preparing to launch a third appeal in a final attempt to avoid a jail sentence.
The welder was found guilty last November of having drunken sex in the back of a Dubai cab with British businesswoman Rebecca Blake (30). The pair were sentenced to three months in jail and fined €600 each for drinking alcohol.
Appeal judges yesterday reduced their sentence by a month and cut their fine to €400 but refused to accept their claims that nothing happened.
After the verdict, which was handed down as a written judgment by judge Mahmood Fahmi Sultan, the couple's lawyer Shaker Al Shammary said: "I am shocked and angered by this outcome. I totally expected them to be set free today. This decision has no basis in law, and we will be appealing."
The pair, who admitted going on a 10-hour drinking binge before their arrest, will now launch a third and final appeal.
Blake from Croydon in England and McRedmond from Tullamore in Co Offaly were arrested on May 4 last year.
Irish Independent
