A British tourist has been jailed for three years in Dubai for trying to steal a Rolex watch and extort money from a British expat in a hotel, according to a report by 7DAYS newspaper.

The Dubai Court of First Instance heard the 29-year-old defendant went to view the luxury watch which was being offered for sale by a 45-year-old British manager.

The victim claimed the accused stole the timepiece, worth around AED36,000 ($9,801) and a passport and demanded £30,000 ($45,648) to return the items.

The accused then attempted to blackmail the victim into not informing the police.

“He spread white powder on my table and told me it was drugs, in case I wanted to call police,” the victim was quoted as saying.

The victim ignored the blackmail attempt and informed the police.

The defendant was arrested and will be deported once he has served his jail sentence.