British woman in Dubai faces jail time and $140,000 fine for rude WhatsApp message to her roommate
Category: News & Politics
Via: sister-mary-agnes-ample-bottom • 3 years ago • 12 commentsBy: jzitser@businessinsider.com (Joshua Zitser) 1 day ago (MSN)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
British woman in Dubai faces jail time and $140,000 fine for rude WhatsApp message to her roommate© Getty Images The 31-year-old woman admits to sending the rude message to her former roommate last October. Getty Images
- A woman faces up to 2 years in a Dubai jail and a fine for sending a rude text, MailOnline reported.
- The 31-year-old is charged with telling her ex-roommate to 'f--- off' in a WhatsApp message.
- Her attempts to resolve the matter out of court have been rebuffed by her former roommate.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
A British woman in Dubai has been told she could face up to two years in jail and a 500,000 AED ($136,129) fine for swearing at her roommate in a WhatsApp message, according to MailOnline.
The unnamed woman faces charges under the United Arab Emirate's cybercrime laws, the news outlet reported.
She is accused of writing "f--- you" to her Ukrainian ex-roommate after arguing about the use of a dining room table, MailOnline's Paul Thompson said.
The 31-year-old woman admits to sending the rude message last October but prosecutors have yet to bring forward a formal legal case, according to MailOnline.
The prosecutors are waiting to file a forensic report on the woman's phone before a case is brought forward, the news outlet said.
The woman was arrested when trying to board a flight from Dubai International Airport to London's Heathrow Airport, the Independent reported.
She has since tried to contact her former roommate to resolve the situation but her request was rebuffed, the paper said.
The British woman, who works as an HR manager, told MailOnline that she is low on money, couch surfing, and fearful of losing her job. "I'm banging my head against a brick wall," she told the outlet.
Radha Stirling, CEO of the Detained in Dubai legal firm, has described the situation as a "nightmare."
In a press release, Stirling said: "The UAE has criminalized practically every visitor to the country under their vague and poorly drafted cybercrime laws. Today's news really hit home for the woman, who has never been in trouble in her life.
She continued: "She is entangled in an alien legal system and the seriousness of a simple WhatsApp message sent to a fellow European in the heat of an argument, is difficult to comprehend. It's a nightmare for her."
This is not the first time that a foreign national has been arrested under the UAE's strict cybercrime laws.
In 2019, Laleh Shahravesh was arrested for allegedly calling her ex-husband's wife a "horse" on Facebook.
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Quick, somebody hide this from Perrie before she gets any ideas!
Fuck the assholes on NT. Sioux me.
When I was in Dubai for Desert Storm, a neighbor of a young couple saw them kissing through an open window and reported them. They both got 6 mo and flogged in Sharza prison followed by deportation. The poor cousin asleep in the bedroom who didn't even know the couple was home got 6 months and deportation.
It was a different place back then...wide spot in the road.
I would love to go back for a visit some day.
Continental Airlines brought troops home from Desert Storm. Hands down the best experience of my flying career. I learned how to play poker, got engaged to about 20 guys (and one gal), and finagled a butt-load of pins and badges that I still have to this very day. Of course most of the finagling involved some kind of booty grab.
You go girl !!!!
What to do? Threaten to make it a wider spot of glass road...
See who blinks first.
Google
dubai = go fund me
and see what horrors pop up.
The fact that this one has an unnamed victim and unnamed roommate
makes me wonder if this one's a fake.
I was just worried that Perrie would start charging us for telling someone to F-O. $136,000 seems a little stiff to me.
Oh I agree. You should see the vitriol, bile and hate mail I get for DARING to ticket the CHOSEN FEW for any points,
even ZERO points.
Skinless, apparently.
And that is not restricted to one "side" or another, lol.
Nice to see admitted trolls still awake and flagging after a disappointing SB.
Good thing Jamanji was on opposite. Great movie with great special effects for 1995.
I guess the half time show was great but I had no idea who he was...
Must be my age showing.