Dubai: A woman who became pregnant after having sex out of wedlock has been jailed for a month followed by deportation.
The Egyptian woman was in a relationship with a Palestinian man who ditched her when she became pregnant in 2016.
She was staying at a friend’s flat when she went into labour. He took her to a hospital where she gave birth to a dead baby.
When hospital employees asked for a marriage certificate to verify the father’s details, the woman failed to provide it.
Police were informed about the incident and the woman was taken into custody.
She told police about her love affair with the Palestinian man, who was later apprehended.
Prosecutors accused the couple of having consensual sex without being married.
The woman pleaded guilty, but the man denied the charges against him.
The woman’s friend (flatmate) testified before the Dubai Misdemeanours Court that the man constantly visited the woman and stayed in her room.
The woman argued in court that the man was her husband, saying they were married according to customs in her country. She claimed that he paid for her medical checkups when she was pregnant and also got her gifts. However, she failed to provide documents to substantiate her claims.
The court sentenced the couple to a month in jail followed by deportation.
The defendants appealed the primary judgement before the Dubai Appeal Court that upheld the ruling.
The man then challenged the appellate ruling before the Cassation Court seeking acquital.
His lawyer argued before the Cassation Court that law enforcement procedures were carried out improperly.
He also contended that his client did not have sex with the woman and that she had fabricated the allegations to cover up for her flatmate, who was the person with whom she had unmarried sex and got pregnant.
The lawyer noted that prosecutors should have conducted a DNA test to corroborate their accusations.
The Cassation Court dismissed the appeal and upheld the punishment.
The couple will be deported after serving their jail terms.
