Scorps drummer jailed in UAE

Scorpions drummer James Kottak has been jailed after insulting behaviour in the United Arab Emirates.

The Gulf News reports that 51-year-old Kottak will spend a month behind bars in Dubai after getting drunk, cursing Muslims, making an indecent gesture to a group of passengers and removing his pants at the city’s airport. He is also said to have insulted policemen.

Kottak was in Dubai during a stopover on a trip from Russia to Bahrain where the Scorpions were due to perform at a concert linked to a motorsports event. He was arrested on April 3, the newspaper says.

His legal issues appear to explain why the band performed at the Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix two days later with former Helloween man Mark Cross behind the kit.

Kottak admitted drinking but denied indecent behaviour and insulting Muslims. His defence lawyer argued that the American only wanted to show a tattoo on his back to the public.

He has been fined around £320 for drinking and will be deported once his sentence has been served.

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.