Dubai: A man in Kuwait almost ended up going to jail after the family parrot accidentally exposed his alleged affair with the housemaid as it mimicked flirtatious exchange of words between them in front of his wife.

The alleged affair came to light after the parrot started to repeat flirty phrases in front of his wife, local media reported.

The wife then lodged a complaint with officers at Hawally police station in Kuwait and accused the husband of cheating, noting she had been suspecting the man for a while, the report said.

She said the husband was surprised when he saw her returning from the office ahead of time and became nervous.

However, the prosecution officer said the case could not be regarded as crime on the basis of the credible evidence — the parrot’s mimicking of phrases — which could not be admitted in court, as it could not be proved that the bird had not heard the intimate conversation on TV or the radio.

Adultery is illegal in the Gulf state, carrying a potential prison sentence or even hard labour.