Dominic Waghorn, In Dubai

Two Britons convicted of having sex on a beach in Dubai have escaped jail but have been ordered to leave the country immediately.

Michelle Palmer and Vince Acors deny the charges

Michelle Palmer and Vince Acors who were on bail, were each handed three-month jail sentences last month after being convicted of public indecency and having unmarried sex.

The pair appealed their jail terms and a judge has ruled that while the sentences still stand, they are to be suspended.

The outcome means Palmer and Acors will not serve time in jail unless they commit another crime in the next three years.

They were not the only ones to appeal in the case. Prosecutors did too, claiming their sentence was too lenient.

However, Dubai’s Court of Appeal decided not to increase the three-month

terms.

Palmer and Acors were caught cavorting on the beach by police after attending a Friday brunch.

Brunches are all day affairs in Dubai where people pay a fixed amount to be able to eat and drink at will. They can be lively affairs.

There is little sympathy for the couple among many here, locals and expatriates.

“You come to a country and you really need to respect the terms and conditions of that country,” filmmaker Mohammed Saeed Harib told Sky News.

“And I’m sure that every expat that comes here knows that.”

It may seem harsh in the West to be sent to jail for three months for having sex on a beach, but in an Islamic country where even modest public displays of affection are frowned on, it does not.

“In Britain, smoking is not allowed indoors. That’s something you have to respect and that’s the regulation,” says Mohammed.

“Sex on the beach is the same thing.”