WITH the prospect of year-round sunshine and cheaper long-haul flights, Dubai is increasingly drawing Scots tourists to its luxurious precincts.

The former playground for the rich is now within tourists’ reach all year-round.

However, many of the visitors have fallen foul of legislation and customs they are not familiar with. This ranges from complicated modesty laws to unwritten on-street etiquette.

Those concerns have now hit home as Jamie Harron faces a three-year jail sentence in Dubai after touching a man’s hip in a bar.

Jamie Harron, from Stirling, was arrested for public indecency after putting a hand on the man to avoid spilling a drink as he moved through a crowded bar, campaign group Detained in Dubai (DiD) said.

It came two weeks after Billy Barclay, from Edinburgh, faced being jailed in the United Arab Emirates after he mistakenly handed over an alleged counterfeit £20 but was eventually allowed to return home, according to his supporters.

Mr Barclay was stopped on his return to Dubai International Airport in September after an incident in 2016 when he tried to exchange money at the Al Hamra Mall in Ras Al Khaimah.

The 31-year-old plasterer was told he could face up to a year in jail in the UAE, a £1,000 fine and deportation back to the UK.

His supporters said however his return home was secured with his hotel room and laundry bill paid.

Fundraiser Scott Richards was detained for three weeks in Dubai after sharing a charity Facebook post which promoted a drive to buy blankets for refugees in Afghanistan while holidaying in the UAE.

He was reportedly detained under laws that ban donations or advertising of charities that are not registered in the country but later released.

In 2010 a British couple made headlines around the world after they were arrested for a public display of affection.

In 2010, Britons Ayman Najafi and Charlotte Adams were jailed for one month for kissing in public.

Vince Acors, of London, and Michelle Palmer, of Rutland, were another couple to fall foul of Dubai's indecency and sex outside of marriage laws.

They were found guilty and given three month jail terms, suspended on appeal.

Mr Acors later said: "You are allowed to drink a huge amount of alcohol for practically nothing, but when you go outside you are breaking the law. They encourage a certain type of lifestyle, but are happy to use the stick when things start to go wrong."