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An air stewardess fears she can't return to Dubai where she lives because she has had a baby out of wedlock.

Ex-pat Liz Curry, 30, didn't even know she was pregnant when Alexandra was born during a 24-hour stopover in South Africa.

Dubai's strict Muslim laws mean Liz could now be sent to prison if she goes back to the country where she has lived for eight years.

The penalty for having sex outside marriage is at least three months in prison followed by deportation.

Liz said: "I'm on unpaid leave at the moment but I can't go back to work in Dubai - not just because I'm a new mother but also because of the law.

"I'm unmarried so if I'd had the baby in Dubai I would have been arrested and I can't take that risk."

Liz, from Ireland, said female cabin crew often have unusual menstrual cycles - she thought her stomach pains were ulcers so began taking tablets.

Doctors in Dubai ran urine and blood tests and told her to stay on the medication.

She only found out the truth in her Johannesburg hotel room in January.

Liz, who works for Emirates, said: "The cramps were horrendous and within a few minutes there was a baby.

I was in complete shock."

Alexandra, who was just over 2lb, spent two months in an intensive care unit.

The pair are still in South Africa but the baby's Australian dad, who lives in Dubai and who has been with Liz for two years, has not been able to see them.

Do's and don'ts for all tourists

The Foreign Office has a code of conduct for anyone who visits Dubai or moves there.

Aside from the laws on sex outside marriage and kissing in public, there are other strict rules to be wary of in the popular tourist destination.

Possession of an illegal drug can lead to a minimum of four years in jail and some over-thecounter medications, such as codeine, are banned. Alcohol is only served in licensed hotels and clubs and it is illegal to drink or to be drunk in public.

Criminal charges can also be brought for using bad language or making rude gestures.

Adoption and abortion are illegal and newborn babies are frequently abandoned - with three being dumped in February.