Man gets three years for installing spy cam

An Emirati man was found guilty of concealing a miniature camera inside a women's toilet.

DUBAI // An Emirati man was found guilty by the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance today of concealing a miniature camera inside a women's toilet at the Ministry of Environment and Water building in Dubai earlier this year. The court was not convinced the defendant, A K, was mentally ill and heard voices in his head, as the defence contend. Despite the defence's request that the court remand A K to a mental care facility for treatment, the defendant was sentenced to three years in jail. Saeed al Ghailani, the defence lawyer, said in his closing argument August 23 that his client had been undergoing psychiatric treatment for the past five years at Al Amal Psychiatric Hospital and at the Iranian Hospital in Dubai, and that he suffered from paranoia, depression and multiple-personality disorder. "He finds himself compelled to obey and carry out orders he receives in his head from unknown persons or sources," Mr al Ghailani said. Police were called in and removed the camera after it was discovered in the women's toilet on the fifth floor of the ministry building last November. Mr Ghailani told the court in August that his client disregarded the dangers of being discovered and installed a second camera in the same location in February. "His action shows a lack of awareness of the consequences of such actions as he is compelled to obey the voices. Despite the discovery of the first camera and despite everyone in the building knowing about it, he went ahead and installed a second camera less than three months later," he said. Mr al Ghailani denied police claims that his client was arrested in a sting operation. He said A K had confessed to the human resources manager at the ministry. "My client was stammering and agitated and he told the manager 'they found the camera' and told him that he had stuffed paper towels in the bathroom false ceiling, claiming he was ordered to do so by the voice of an employee at the ministry who, at the time, was on her annual leave." He said A K's colleagues described him as a respectable and decent person who never looked up when a female colleague passed him in the corridor. According to the defence, the different behaviour described in the charge sheet suggests A K might also suffer from multiple-personality disorder. "Residing within the defendant are several personalities, up to five, one of whom is decent and respectable, one is a sociopath and the third is intensely religious," Mr al Ghailani said. [e-mail]