Dubai: Man jailed for taking illicit pictures, videos of married couple while they slept in adjacent room

A 26-year-old man has been sentenced to two months in prison by the Criminal Court, followed by deportation from the country, for illegally filming and invading the privacy of a married couple. The accused photographed and filmed the sleeping couple through an opening in the wooden wall that separated him from the duo in their shared residence.

Case files revealed that the husband noticed a phone through the opening in the shared wall and grabbed it from the accused's hand, following which he immediately informed the police. A video recording about 25 seconds long was found on the suspect's phone, and he was arrested and referred to the Public Prosecution in Dubai – which, in turn, referred him to court on charges of invading the couple's privacy.

Investigations revealed that the victim and his wife lived in a room in the shared residence due to tight financial conditions. The man, who believed he and his wife were safe from prying eyes, was appalled at the inappropriate behaviour of his neighbour.

A witness from the Dubai Police said that the victim then filed a report claiming his privacy was violated, and his wife's modesty was insulted, in the shared residence. The rooms in the residence are separated by wooden walls, he explained, and it was upon suspicion that they were being watched that he and his wife looked in a hole in the wall – located next to the air conditioner – to find their neighbour, phone in hand, pointing his camera at them.

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