Dubai 'sex in cab' Brit hid marriage to avoid adultery charge

A British expat jailed for having sexual relations in the back of a taxi in Dubai has admitted she kept the fact she was married a secret in order to avoid being charged with adultery, which would have resulted in much harsher sentence.

Rebecca Blake, from the UK, and Connor McRedmond, from Ireland, were arrested on May 4 for having sex out of marriage in the back of a Dubai taxi, after they were reported to police by the driver. They were also charged with consuming alcohol in public.

This summer, the emirate’s highest court, the Cassation Court, upheld an Appeals Court ruling that the pair serve two months in jail and pay a AED2,000 ($545) fine.

The duo were originally sentenced to three months’ jail and fined AED3000.

Blake has since served her jail term and has returned to the UK.

In an interview with the Daily Express she revealed her lawyer had urged her to marry McRedmond but she was unable to as she was still technically married

“Our lawyer asked if we’d marry. Conor agreed but I explained I was still technically married from six years ago... [The lawyer] panicked and told me to keep quiet. He said I’d be done for adultery, which is really serious. I was scared.”

Blake agreed to keep her previous marriage secret in order to avoid being charged with adultery.