Man fined Dhs10,000 for insulting female sports referee

The Dubai Misdemeanours Court has imposed a fine amounting to Dhs10,000 on an Arab national for posting an insulting comment on a news platform directed at a sports referee.

In the meantime, the civil lawsuit has also been referred to the competent court.

The details of the case date back to last April, when a woman submitted a report in which she stated that she had read insulting phrases in a post on a news platform that published news about a match she was refereeing in. She stated that she had read in the comments a phrase published by the accused that included transgressions and insults against her, and the incident was therefore reported to the police.

A police officer, who was tasked to conduct the investigation, indicated that a team from the relevant department proceeded with their enquiries, resulting in the accused being summoned. The accused admitted that the account used in the comment belonged to him, but denied intending to insult the match referee. Subsequent to the investigation, the report was referred to the Public Prosecution and then to the court.

Following the hearing of the case, the grounds for the judgment stated that the subject of the lawsuit was related to the crime of defamation.

The court confirmed that, in legal discourse, defamation signifies the use of abusive language or the explicit expression of a negative character trait, thereby denoting an affront to a person's honour and dignity.

The court further established that the crime is committed as soon as the defamatory act occurs in a public place or even accidentally, without the need for a specific intent on the part of the perpetrator, as it is sufficient for the general intent of the crime to be achieved.

The court further explained that the crime of defamation in this case occurred on a public news platform, thereby amplifying its impact on the victim's reputation and increasing the severity of the offence.

During the court session, the referee's attorney called for the accused to be punished for insulting his client and filed a civil suit demanding compensation of Dhs150,000 for his client. The court convicted the accused and issued the aforementioned ruling.