ABU DHABI // A state security policeman has been cleared of not reporting two suspected prostitutes to authorities, but convicted of beautifying a sinful act with one of them.
The policeman, R F, was accused of helping the women to work as prostitutes, and, having spent time alone with the second woman in hotel rooms and nightclubs, of beautifying the sin — a romantic, but non-sexual liaison, between two people who are not married or engaged.
A second man was accused of breaching public decency by possessing a bottle of liquor, beautifying the sin with the second woman, and also not reporting the prostitutes.
Abu Dhabi Criminal Court cleared R F of not reporting the prostitutes to the police, but convicted him of beautifying the sin and sentenced to two years in jail.
The court also sentenced the two women to one year in jail for prostitution, an additional two years to the second woman for beautifying the sin, followed by deportation.
The second man was cleared of not reporting the prostitutes, but was jailed for six months and fined Dh1,000 for his other crimes.
The policeman, R F, and the second woman appealed against their sentences.
She was cleared of prostitution, but sentenced to six months for beautifying the sin.
R F’s appeal was rejected so he took it to the Court of Cassation.
He argued that there was no proof that he beautified the sin and his conviction was solely based on the woman’s confessions against him.
By law, it is invalid to take the confessions of a defendant against another.
The court found his argument invalid, because the case files contained receipts that showed he has stayed in a hotel and visited nightclubs with the woman.
hdajani@thenational.ae
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"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
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