Mother loses adultery conviction appeal

A British mother today lost an appeal against her conviction for adultery in Dubai.

Marnie Pearce, 40, had her jail sentence reduced from six to three months by Dubai's Appeal Court, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said.

She was also ordered to pay a fine of 3,000 dirhams and will be deported.

Ms Pearce, originally from Bracknell, Berkshire, was found guilty of adultery by a Dubai court in November after being accused of cheating on her Egyptian ex-husband.

She insisted she was innocent and said she feared losing custody of her two young sons if she went to prison.

She remained on bail while she attempted to overturn her conviction.

It was not immediately clear whether she would have to start her sentence straightaway.

Ms Pearce met her ex-husband in Oman and married him in the Seychelles in September 1999.

They had two children, Laith, seven, and Ziad, four, and moved to Dubai, but their marriage eventually broke down.

In March last year she was arrested and accused of committing adultery with a British man who she insists was only a friend.