Attempt to extradite gay British man to United Arab Emirates rejected

Michael Halliday has a spoken of his relief, with sex between men punishable by death under UAE federal law

Dubai's interpretation of sharia law has lead to a number of rape victims being criminalised including women from Norway and Australia, and several previous British victims

(Getty)

Michael Halliday, a 32-year-old gay Briton, has spoken of his relief after an attempt to extradite him by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was rejected due to fears he would face torture and an unfair trial.

Mr Halliday denies an allegation that he stole more than £100,000 in cash from a shop he managed in Dubai. In a ruling at Westminster Magistrate’s Court, London District Judge Jeremy Coleman concluded: “Mr Halliday has proved to the required degree that in the event of extradition there is a substantial risk that both his Article 3 and 6 rights would be breached.”

In a statement, the 32-year-old, from the Midlands, said: “I have been through a distressing eight months of uncertainty.”

He added: “It is not the clearing of my name that I feared. It was more a serious question as to whether there was a realistic prospect of me being able to prove my innocence at trial given the UAE's unfair justice system and their poor track record in their treatment of foreign prisoners and particularly members of the LGBT community.”

His lawyers, BSB solicitors, had argued that his human rights would have been in even greater danger of being violated due to his sexuality, with sex between men punishable by death under UAE federal law.

“I can now continue my life without fear of the prospect of extradition,” said Mr Halliday.

He vowed to fight any appeal against the ruling, describing the UAE as a “regime where I fear for my personal safety.”