Man jailed for beach sex blames media

A British man convicted of having sex on a Dubai beach hopes to return to the country despite being given a jail sentence there and running up thousands of pounds in legal bills.

Vince Acors, 34, of Bromley, south-east London, denied having intercourse with Michelle Palmer, a 36-year-old publishing executive, and blamed media speculation for their convictions.

"Because of the worldwide publicity, I feel that the Dubai authorities had no real choice other than to find us guilty," Mr Acors said at a press conference in London. He insisted that much of what was reported was exaggerated. Some, he said, was "complete lies".

He was deported from Dubai and cannot go back for three years. But Mr Acors said that he would like to return. "I'm going to make an application to the United Arab Emirates embassy."

He and Ms Palmer received three-month jail terms from a Dubai court in October for unmarried sex and public indecency. The sentences were suspended on appeal last month and the pair were allowed to return to the UK.

Mr Acors said he had some "horrific" experiences in prison and described Dubai as a "massive contradiction".

"Everything is available but it is also illegal," he said. "The locals take part in pretty much every single activity as much as the ex-pats do. All these people are involved in relationships with people of the opposite sex that they're not married to. We just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."