A British student who was jailed for 25 years in Dubai was allegedly caught with cocaine, according to her devastated mum.
Mia O’Brien[1], 23, has been given a life sentence following a one-day hearing after she was caught with 50 grams of the Class A drug in October, valued at around £2,500.
The Liverpool University law student pleaded not guilty but was convicted on July 25 and fined £100,000 by the court. She was sent to Dubai Central Prison, where she is living with six other inmates.
Mia’s devastated mum Danielle McKenna has been in contact with her daughter on the phone, but isn’t allowed to say much.
“Mia feels she has destroyed her life as she wanted to be a lawyer or solicitor, ” Danielle told the Daily Mail.[4]
“I speak to her but she can’t say too much on the phone. She’s just made a stupid mistake after going over to see a friend and her boyfriend in Dubai.”
According to her mum, Mia pleaded not guilty to intent to supply the cocaine. However, a judge handed her a life sentence after a one-day hearing.
Daniella, 46, said: “The trial was all in Arabic and Mia was told of the sentence later by her lawyer.
“She is absolutely devastated by what has happened. Mia is being really strong but I know she is going through a living hell.”
The student has not paid the court’s fine, but is due to have an appeal in the next couple of weeks. Mia hopes she might get sentenced back to the UK after Ramadan.
In the meantime, she is said to be “absolutely devastated” following the sentencing and is “going through a living hell”, according to her mum.
Daniella revealed that the prison conditions are “horrendous” and that Mia has to “bang on a big door” if she needs anything.
The university student wept on the phone and begged for forgiveness from her mum, who claimed she is “not a drug taker.”
Daniella believes her daughter is “innocent” and has been the victim of a “miscarriage of justice.”
She previously set up a GoFundMe page to help cover her daughter’s legal fees, writing: “Mia has been given a life sentence in Dubai and she is now in central prison. As you can all probably imagine, as her mother I am absolutely devastated. I haven’t seen my daughter since last October.
“Mia is only 23 years old and has never done a bad thing in her life. This is a young girl, who went to university to do law, and unfortunately got mixed up in the wrong so-called friends and made a very stupid mistake and is now paying the price.
“So all I ask is if you can donate anything you can spare, even if it’s a £1, it could help up massively and I would be forever grateful. Thank you so much.”
The GoFundMe was later taken down after allegedly “breaching community rules”.
A GoFundMe spokesperson told The Sun: “It was removed because it violates Term 9 of the Prohibited Conduct section in our Terms of Service. Term 9 prohibits raising funds on GoFundMe for the legal defence of certain alleged crimes.”
According to the UK Foreign Office, British visitors are explicitly warned not to flout the country’s laws, singling out drug offences in particular.
AFP via Getty Images)
On its travel advice for Dubai, the FCDO says: “There is zero tolerance for drugs-related offences. The penalties for trafficking, smuggling, using and possessing illegal drugs (including residual amounts) are severe.
“Sentences for drug trafficking can include the death penalty. Possession of even the smallest amount of illegal drugs, including cannabis, can lead to a minimum 3-month prison term or a fine of between 20,000 UAE dirham (£4,000) and 100,000 UAE dirham (£20,000).
“The Emirati authorities count the presence of drugs in the blood stream as possession. “Some ‘herbal highs’ and products containing cannabidiol (CBD) are illegal in the UAE.
“Possessing, concealing or making transactions with money from drugs-related offences is illegal. You could get a prison sentence and a fine.
“UAE airports have excellent technology[5] and security for detecting illegal items, including cannabis. This is also used to scan the baggage of transiting passengers. You can be arrested for carrying drugs, even residual amounts.”
References
- ^ Mia O’Brien (Distraught%20mum%20of%20Brit%20student%20jailed%20for%20life%20in%20Dubai%20gives%20cause%20of%20arrest)
- ^ Oliver Pugh hunt: Missing Brit boy may now be in Thailand (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Shark mauls surfer to death on popular beach prompting widespread closures (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Daily Mail. (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ technology (www.mirror.co.uk)