LONDON: A British mother-of-two on Thursday lost an appeal against her conviction for adultery in Dubai, although her prison sentence was reduced from six to three months, British officials said.
Marnie Pearce, 40, was found guilty of adultery by a Dubai court in November after being accused of cheating on her Egyptian ex-husband.
The Dubai appeal court rejected her attempt to overturn her conviction but it was not immediately clear whether Pearce would have to start her reduced sentence immediately.
We can confirm that British national Marnie Pearce has been sentenced to three months in jail, down from six months, a 3,000-dirham (?630, $820) fine and deportation, a Foreign Office spokeswoman in London said.
Pearce, originally from Bracknell in southeast England, insisted she was innocent and said she feared losing custody of her two young sons if she went to prison.
She met her ex-husband in Oman and married him in the Seychelles in September 1999.
They had two boys, Laith, seven, and Ziad, four, and moved to Dubai, but their marriage 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.
A British man and woman were found guilty in October of having sex on the beach in Dubai, which despite its pro-Western outlook still adheres to certain strict Islamic rules.
Michelle Palmer and Vince Acors succeeded in securing the suspension of a three-month jail term but the two were ordered to pay a 1,000 dirham fine for drinking alcohol and were expelled from the country. -AFP
