'Beach sex' Brit slams Dubai but wants to return

A British man convicted of having sex on the beach in Dubai has criticized the Gulf Emirate for its decadence but said he was seeking to return for business despite being thrown out last week.

Vince Acors, 34, said he regretted the incident but called Dubai a "massive contradiction" which caters to drink and western-style behavior while many such activities are actually illegal.

"Dubai is a massive contradiction -- everything is available, but it's also illegal. The locals take part in every activity as much as the expats," he said at a press conference in London.

"We just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said of the incident with fellow Briton Michelle Palmer, 36.

"We were obviously on the beach, and the definition of sex in this country is different to the definition of sex in the Middle East," he said. "There would have been some physical contact, but intercourse did not take place," he said.

"We were both conscious of what was going on, but obviously with consuming that amount of alcohol over a period of time, your judgment is going to be impaired and we both made some poor decisions that evening," he said.

We were obviously on the beach, and the definition of sex in this country is different to the definition of sex in the Middle East...There would have been some physical contact, but intercourse did not take place

Vince Acors told a press conference

'Famous brunches'

In the early hours of July 5, the pair were caught half naked on the beach by a police officer. The officer initially let the pair go with a warning but returned to find them still at it; when he told them to stop Palmer assaulted the officer and called him a "f***ing Muslim ****"

The pair were found guilty in October of having sex on the beach in Dubai after they consumed a huge amount of alcohol at what Acors alleges are "famous brunches."

"These brunches are famous. They are advertised on the flights when you go there. When you are there you pay a one off fee and they keep filling up your glass," he told the conference.

An appeals court last month suspended a three-month jail term but the two were ordered to pay a 1,000 dirham ($270) fine for drinking alcohol and ordered expelled from the country.

Acors, who said he was not angry or bitter, was deported from Dubai and banned from entering the country for three years.

I'm going to make an application to the UAE embassy in the UK," he said, adding that he had made contacts during his six months in Dubai which could lead to business with the telecoms firm of which he is the boss.

"Because of the worldwide publicity, I feel that the Dubai authorities had no real choice other than to find us guilty in this situation," he said.

He said he had not spoken to Palmer since returning to Britain, adding: "I can't see Michelle or myself pursuing this relationship.

These brunches are famous. They are advertised on the flights when you go there. When you are there you pay a one off fee and they keep filling up your glass

Acors