Shotgun marriage for British couple arrested having sex on Dubai beach

London, July 10 : Publishing assistant Michelle Palmer and her partner Vince hastily tied the knot after they were arrested for breaking the 'no unmarried sex' law in Dubai - in a bid to reduce their sentence.

The two were caught having sex on the Jumeirah beach in Dubai by a policeman who first ticked them off, but was then forced to arrest them after catching them at it again.

Palmer and Vince are facing possible jail sentences of up to six years, with the publishing assistant facing possible charges of indecent behaviour in public, being drunk in public, and assaulting a police officer.

Their friends revealed that while at the bar, Palmer had been spotted crying because Vince was "being nasty" to her.

"Just after that they were caught for having sex on the beach - and the next thing we knew, they were married," Daily Telegraph quoted a friend as saying.

Mortified Palmer was full of remorse and begged authorities to show mercy.

"Because this is known everywhere they're going to make an example of us and we're going to get a higher sentence," she said.

"We are in so much trouble and my family and everybody are affected. Until someone is in this situation they could never know what it's like. It's bad - it's so, so bad," she had added.

A Foreign Office spokesman confirmed that two British nationals had been arrested in Dubai.

"We are providing consular assistance," he said.

ANI