Palmer/Acors lawyer: ‘It’s the cabbie’s fault’

In a new twist to the sex-on-the-beach case, the lawyer of Michelle Palmer and Vince Acors has blamed a taxi driver for the troubles faced by the British nationals and has threatened to sue UAE and British publications for maligning his clients.

Talking to XPRESS ahead of a crucial court hearing on October 7, Hassan Mattar, 31, said: "The Sun news report was written to hurt and damage the reputation of my clients." The newspaper had published Palmer’s picture with the report.

"We will file a lawsuit in the UK and here against all newspapers that libelled my clients and used their pictures falsely."

Mattar, who is on vacation in Cairo, said Palmer and Acors did not speak to any newspapers at any point of time.

"Any allegation or statement put in their names is completely untrue. She [Palmer] denied all accusations from day one... Acors himself did not make any public statements to the press, but he was misguided by his friends into sending an apology letter to a local publication," he said.

Miscommunication

Meanwhile, Mattar added that the incident was due to a misunderstanding between his clients and a taxi driver.

One mistaken word left them on the beach, he said.

"They ended up on the beach that night by mistake. These guys were part of a group in a hotel having drinks and celebrating [on July 4]. They left the hotel and were bar hopping from 2pm and finally boarded a taxi and told the driver to take them to the Oasis Beach Hotel where Acors was staying. The driver dropped them at Jumeirah beach by mistake, since he did not understand them. They ended up at the Jumeirah beach at around 1.30am where the girl [Palmer] passed out from exhaustion and intoxication. They then lay down on the beach.

"If the driver understood the instructions correctly, this whole incident would not have happened and Palmer would not have lost her job and Acors would have not been stuck in Dubai like a prisoner," Mattar said.

A duty manager at the Oasis Beach Hotel confirmed that Acors checked in on July 3. He was arrested on July 5.

No assaults on officer

Mattar, who expects the verdict on October 7, said the accusation of assaulting the police officer verbally and physically was completely untrue. "They were only charged from day one with alcohol consumption, public indecency and illicit actions. No assault charges were filed."

Mattar said an indecent or illicit action, which is punishable by law, is defined as an action that involves touching, exposing, fondling or the use of private parts – be that of self or of another person – to achieve sexual gratification, even if it does not involve sexual penetration.

He said the forensic report indicated that Palmer was in good health and that there was no evidence of any recent sexual activity, contrary to what has been stated by the Public Prosecution.

Weak testimonies

The testimonies of the policeman who arrested them and the witnesses were weak and compromised, he said. "The policeman’s testimony depended on the witnesses’ information, which is unsubstantiated as they were seated on the pavement at a distant location while the suspects were on the beach."

The prosecution have produced two witnesses in the case. The policeman did not get the testimony of others on the beach who were close to the location where the alleged incident happened, Mattar said.

"Although witnesses stated to the Public Pros-ecution that they saw them performing illicit action, lawyers and courts admit only concrete evidence.

"The witnesses’ testimonies to the police were weak and do not provide any concrete facts.

"The law states that witnessing such a crime has to be up close and of clear assertion that the crime did occur.

"Further, the policeman stated that he used his flashlight to find them which proves that the witnesses did not have a clear line of vision."