Waiter's jail term for defaming policeman upheld

Dubai - The waiter opened an account on social media and posted personal pictures belonging to the policeman

A waiter has lost his appeal against a two-year jail term on several charges, including blackmailing and defaming a policeman.
The Court of Appeals has upheld a the verdict rendered by a lower court in November, last year, against a 29-year-old Filipino waiter for defaming a policeman by opening an account on social media and posting personal pictures belonging to the latter.
The appellate court also ordered that the accused be deported after serving his jail term.
The waiter was found guilty of posting next to the photos lines suggesting that the policeman liked to have sex with men and inviting them to make contact with him. He was also accused of threatening the policeman on WhatsApp of causing trouble to him unless he paid him Dh8,000.
Also read: Waiter jailed for defaming UAE cop on social media
The waiter was also charged with having consensual sex with the complainant. He pleaded guilty earlier to the charges in the court. The policeman was referred to the Court of Misdemeanors on the charge of having illicit consensual sex.
The complaint dates back to and prior to February 15, last year, and was registered at Al Qusais police station.
The policeman, a Yemeni, told the investigators that the accused was his friend.
"I got a phone call from my colleagues asking me about the reason I posted pictures of me in the uniform on Instagram," he said.
The policeman was shocked later to see his pictures including that of his father on the site.
He was later summoned by a lieutenant colonel in his workplace. "I was asked about the page that had my personal picture in the uniform," the policeman told the prosecutor.
He reportedly admitted during the interrogation that out of the six pictures posted on the site, three were his own pictures and one was his father's.
The policeman told the investigators that it was the accused who opened the account. He added that the waiter had previously threatened to post his pictures online to intimidate him into being his lover.
He confessed that he had sent his picture in the uniform to the accused about one year earlier.
He added that the defendant obtained the other pictures from his Instagram or WhatsApp accounts and that the accused posted his personal mobile number (the policeman's) on that account. The waiter may challenge the ruling at the Court of Cassation within 30 days.
mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai