DUBAI // A school principal has been found not guilty of insulting a pupil’s mother.

Prosecutors told the Dubai Court of Misdemeanours that the 45-year-old Briton sent an email on February 21 this year to the mother of a pupil in which, the woman claimed, he told her she was rude.

Rashid Tahlak, the defendant’s lawyer, said the woman had barged into the principal’s office and waved her middle finger at him.

“For almost two weeks before, she had been committing various violations at the school simply because she was asked by the administration to pick her up son on time, and because her second child was not accepted in the school,” said the lawyer adding that the woman shouted at eight members of staff and told them she was paying their wages and used foul language.

The principal, who denied a charge of issuing insults, provided the court with a copy of the email, which had been translated.

“We find the defendant not guilty as the word [rude] was used to describe the plaintiff’s attitude and does not carry an insult to her person, besides, the court finds the defendant had no criminal intent and his message included rather guiding advice than insulting words,” said the court in its verdict.

salamir@thenational.ae