British businesswoman faces six years in Dubai jail after being caught having sex on beach

The British expat accused of having drunken sex on a Dubai beach has told a court she was simply 'kissing and hugging'.

Michelle Palmer and fellow Briton Vince Acors face up to six years in jail if found guilty.

Miss Palmer, 36, a saleswoman from Oakham, Rutland, arrived in court dressed in a black trouser suit with an Arab-style scarf around her neck.

The man at the centre of the Dubai beach sex furore has been named as Vince Acors, a 34-year-old businessman from Kent.

His drunken encounter with fellow Briton Michelle Palmer could land them both in jail for six years.

Mr Acors - nicknamed 'Vince Charming' for his success with the opposite sex - was on a business trip to Dubai when he met Miss Palmer during an all-day drinking binge.

Hours later, the father of one was arrested along with the 36-year-old publishing manager after they were caught having sex on a public beach.

Yesterday the pair were anxiously waiting to hear whether they will be charged in relation to their behaviour.

They face between three months and six years in jail, plus a fine and deportation for flouting the strict ban on sex outside marriage in the Muslim emirate.

Mr Acors, a telecoms firm director from Bromley who has a seven-year-old son with his former partner, was said to be 'beside himself with worry' yesterday after being told he cannot leave the country until police end their investigation.

The pair have both told police that they were so drunk they cannot even remember the sexual encounter in the early hours of Saturday. The case has now been passed from the Dubai police force to the prosecution service, which has to decide whether there is a case against them.

A British businesswoman faces six years in a foreign jail after she was allegedly caught having sex on a beach in Dubai.

Publishing firm manager Michelle Palmer, 30, was arrested after a police officer reportedly saw her in a compromising position on Jumeirah Beach.

She was charged with having sex outside marriage, indecent behaviour in public, being drunk in public and assaulting a police officer.

Ms Palmer works in Dubai for a magazine publishing firm and the man also accused in connection with the incident was a British holidaymaker.