A British man faces three years in prison in Dubai for touching another man's hip.

Jamie Harron has already been sentenced to 30 days for drinking alcohol in a bar and allegedly making a rude gesture.

Harron admits he touched another man at the Rock Bottom Bar in July, but says he was just trying to avoid bumping into him or spilling his drinks. He denies making any inappropriate gestures.

Police arrived a half-hour after the encounter and arrested the 27-year-old electrician, who was charged with public indecency and spent five days in Al Barsha prison.

“I hope that it can be sorted out," Harron said. "But I already didn’t think it would have went on for so many months in the first place. I’ve lost my job, I’m in debt now, I may be going to prison and all this for a two-day stopover. It’s just unbelievable. I’m still in shock that it’s actually happened.”

In addition to losing his job, Harron has spent more than $40,000 in legal fees and expenses. Additionally authorities confiscated his passport.

“We have been in contact with a British man following his arrest in Dubai in July," said a representative from the British consulate, "and are providing consular assistance."

While the UAE is increasingly seen as an international hotspot, foreigners who run afoul of its repressive laws—especially those governing homosexuality and gender presentation—see a darker side of the country.

In August, a transgender woman from Singapore was sentenced to a year in prison in Abu Dhabi for dressing in a feminine manner. According to Detained in Dubai, they were stopped by police while having lunch at Yas Mall.

“The UAE has built a tolerant, cosmopolitan image, but the laws continue to reflect the conservative, traditional values of the society,” Detained in Dubai's Radha Stirling wrote on LinkedIn. It is not uncommon for visitors to be confused about what is or is not acceptable behavior.”

In 2008 two lesbians were sentenced to a month in prison for showing affection in public. More recently, in 2014, two transgender Brazilian women were arrested at a Dubai nightclub for “imitating women.” And in August 2016, trans personality Gigi Gorgeous was detained for five hours at Dubai International Airport, where her passport was confiscated by authorities who refused to recognize her gender.