Radha Stirling, the human rights lawyer who founded Detained in Dubai, said she was pleased the Dubai government had intervened in Mackellar’s case but that his dealings with the Emirati authorities should be seen as a “warning” to Britons.

Having spoken over the phone many times a day, the couple eventually contacted Stirling. “If it wasn’t for her and the press, I honestly think I’d still be there,” Mackellar said.

On February 5, at 8.30am, he was summoned to the police station and taken to a courthouse, where he was told judges would give him their decision and treat him with leniency. “I was very happy to hear those words,” he said.

He had not had time to contact Stirling for legal representation and entered a guilty plea through an Arabic interpreter. Stirling said he had been “coerced” into it. “I take issue with an innocent man being forced to plead guilty,”

Mackellar was told he needed to pay a fine of 3,000 dirham (about £650) or go to jail. He had 3,300 dirham in his bank account. “I couldn’t wait to get down the corridor to the machine and make the payment,” Mackellar said. He was given paperwork, which he must show if he returns, and the travel ban against him was lifted.

Mackellar asked whether he could come back to Dubai to see his family. He said a police officer told him genially: “No problem — in fact, we want to have you back here.”

Stirling said Mackellar’s case should serve as a warning to Britons travelling to or living in the UAE that the police “automatically prosecute on the basis of a verbal complaint made against British citizens, usually for vindictive or extortion reasons”.

There have been several high-profile instances in recent years of Britons being held in Dubai. Jamie Harron, from Stirling, Perthshire, was arrested in 2017 for “public indecency” after touching a man on the hip to avoid spilling a drink in a crowded bar. His case was expedited after Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the emirate’s ruler, ordered him to be freed.

Stirling said of Mackellar’s case: “I am thankful that the Dubai government intervened in what was clearly a trivial matter that never should have escalated to the point where Ian risked over a year in prison.

"Most [foreign nationals] who are accused of a crime face months waiting for a court date, unable to return home or resume work, as well as suffering costly legal and hotel bills. If they are found guilty, which is usually the case, regardless of evidence, they will then face many months more of entanglement in the legal appeals process.”

Mackellar’s daughter has since moved out of the complex where she lived. His children are still angry that he had to pay a fine and that the action was taken against him, and not the neighbour who threw the drink.

“I feel a sense of injustice but I’m philosophical about it,” said Mackellar. “I understand that that’s the law and I was naive. But it could have been much worse.”