Woman to pay Dh3,000 fine for copying messages from husband's phone in UAE

A woman has been ordered to pay a fine of Dh3,000 for transferring and copying text messages from her husband's mobile phone without his consent as she suspected him of having an "illicit affair". The Ras Al Khaimah Misdemeanour Court also asked her to pay Dh100 advocacy fees and other charges. 

The court sent a copy of the case file to the public prosecution to interrogate the husband and the woman he was chatting with on social media.   

As per court records, the case unfolded when the husband lodged a complaint against his wife accusing her of breaching his privacy and copying text messages from his mobile phone without his consent. 

The wife was summoned by the Ras Al Khaimah Police. The public prosecution referred the case to the court where she admitted to her crime, but blamed her husband for having an "illicit affair" with a woman he used to text and talk with frequently. The suspicion had driven her to check his mobile phone, she pointed out.  

The prosecution asked the court to punish the wife for violating the privacy of her husband based on Article 378 of the Federal Punitive Law. 

The defence lawyer told the court that his client had tried hard over nine years of to lead a peaceful marital life, but her husband cheated on her. He argued that his client did not mean to harm her husband or anyone else. The lawyer added that the husband had once willingly given her his mobile phone and asked her to check it - which she didn't out of trust. 

However, the wife's suspicions grew when her husband started receiving regular phone calls and texts, which forced her to check his cell phone without his knowledge. 

"She was shocked and angry over the indecent texts and emojis sent to her husband by an unidentified woman, who told him that she 'loved' him," the wife's lawyer added. 

The lawyer said the woman refused to divulge any of her marital disputes - even during the five counselling sessions held in court to amicably settle the litigation. 

"The husband refused any settlement, and so she had to attach the text messages  - she copied from her husband's phone - to the lawsuit file."

Khaleej Times