Inside notorious Dubai hellhole prison where Katie Price claims husband Lee Andrews is being held
Katie Price has reportedly managed to find her husband after two weeks of no contact but the ordeal isn't over for the newlyweds.
After failing to board a flight back to the UK on Wednesday 13 May, Price quickly grew concerned for the welfare of her husband, who she married back in January just months after meeting through social media.
Although some reports disputed her claims that he was actually missing, Price maintained that he had been kidnapped while staying in Dubai, although it now appears that he had in fact been arrested.
Lee's father got in contact with his new daughter-in-law to share his son's whereabouts, before setting up a call with the Al Awir prison where he has allegedly been held for the past two weeks.
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The prison is notorious for its brutal conditions, with men and women separated on entry, while male inmates are also forced to shave their heads at the start of their sentence, something Andrews might just have avoided with his arrest charges still unclear.
Human Rights Watch has previously claimed that detainees inside the prison have been denied essential HIV treatments and other medicines, while ex-inmates have described the horrific treatment they were subjected to.
David Haigh, the ex-managing director of Leeds United, spent two years there on wrongful fraud charges, and suggested in a 2017 interview that he was punched, tasered, beaten and raped.
“The only way to describe being in prison in Dubai is hell,” he told The Independent.
“I was held for 22 months and I’ll never forget it – the stench, the dirt, the smell, the heat, and the lack of any information whatsoever.
“The worst of this abuse was perpetrated by the prison guards and police. I lost a lot of weight through stress,” he said.
“Once, when I asked for some painkillers, a guard hit me over the head with a broom handle. When someone’s beating you or hurting you in whatever form, in a weird way you can deal with that. What I found more harrowing was seeing them do it to other prisoners in front of everyone.”
British teenager Marcus Fakana was also held in the prison after engaging in a romance with a girl just a few months younger than him, something that would have been entirely legal in the UK.
Price had previously disputed the claims of her father-in-law regarding Lee's arrest but seemingly had it confirmed when she spoke to him from the prison.
Reports also suggesting that he could be freed as early as Monday 1 June and Price will be hoping that her husband's brief stint behind bars isn't as traumatic as some of his British predecessors.
Katie Price's missing husband: a timeline
12 May: Missed UK television appearance
The Dubai businessman, originally from Manchester, is supposed to be on an episode of Good Morning Britain alongside his wife.
When asked if Andrews got arrested at the airport, Price says: "No. You know, they just said it to me in there.
"So, I just said, 'Lee, apparently a British man has been detained. Can you just confirm that it's not you?' Because I obviously know it's not him.
"So, he's just done a voice note back and laughing emojis. 'No, it's not me' and a voice note. And he's just sent me pictures."
In a vlog on her YouTube channel, Price shares footage of herself calling Andrews after her GMB appearance, telling him: "None of them believe you're coming at all. The fact is, you've just got to get here and prove everyone wrong.
"They're like, 'Kate, do you know anything about this man?'"
13 May: Last known contact
Price says on her channel that Andrews is 'at the airport going through the border control to get his exit stamp'.
"So, he said he's 100 percent, a billion percent, coming today," she adds.
14–16 May: Communication suddenly stops
Price says she and Andrews are normally in 'constant contact' and it's 'worrying' that she can't get through to him on the phone.
"We're now wondering, as far-fetched as it is, he's a missing person," she adds. "I don't know if he's been kidnapped."
16 May: Price pleads 'please help me find my husband'
Over the weekend, Price says, 'the truth is, Lee has been missing for three days'.
"Lee was trying to get through the border near Hatta and, oh God, this is so discombobulating," she continues. "His location went off at 10:03, Wednesday night, that's the last contact anyone's had, his family and me.
"This is the third day now, obviously, he phoned me before the location went off. He's in the middle of nowhere, obviously, I'm worried."
Price adds that 'the last FaceTime call I had with him… he had ties around his hand and a hood'
"He sounded really worried and said like whispering, ‘They're coming for me now. They're coming for me. I've got to go’,” she explains.
17–18 May: Missing person report filed
According to The Sun, a missing person report has been lodged by his family at the British Embassy in Dubai.
"Lee is officially a missing person now," a source tells the outlet.
"Katie is in constant contact with his family and is desperately worried. And she’s mortified — she’s seen people calling it a stunt and that she must be in on it, but she’s absolutely not.
"This is such a worrying, upsetting situation."
19 May: Accusations emerge that Andrews is on the run
In a lengthy expose published by The Sun, journalist Clemmie Moodie accuses Andrews of scamming her out of £1,000, as well as claiming that he is currently hiding out in Dubai.
"Lee has NOT been kidnapped; he is simply in hiding after also ghosting his devastated wife for the past six days," she claims. "He is not dead. He is not in jail. And he has not been detained."
"He is squatting in a slightly run-down villa, frantically planning a route out of this ginormous hole he appears to have buried himself in, and is understood to be liaising with his few trusted contacts on a 'burner phone'," the report alleges.
This follows claims from numerous partners that Andrews scammed them out of money, which he denies.
Price details final FaceTime call with Andrews, denies 'publicity stunt' accusations
Price says she hasn't spoken to Andrews since Wednesday night, telling fans in a recent YouTube update that he was attempting to leave the UAE.
"The last time I heard from him, he FaceTimed me, he had a hood on and said, ‘I've just been captured or arrested’ and had ties around his hand, not handcuffs, and said ‘they're coming back for me’," she explains.
Price denies accusations that this is a publicity stunt, calling the claims 'disgusting'.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for FCDO has given the following statement to LADbible Group: "We are supporting the family of a British man and are in contact with the local authorities."
20 May: Price clears up rumours that Andrews was online on social media
Former Apprentice contestant Luisa Zissman, who has joined the search for Andrews, pointed out how Lee's social media appeared to have been active.
However, it seems this possible clue turned into a dead end as Price posted that she had access to her husband's Facebook account, so she was responsible for the recent activity.
"I have Lee's Facebook, it's not him on this it's me," she wrote, as the search continues.
23 May: Andrews' dad claims he's been arrested in Dubai
"Lee is OK. He has not been kidnapped but he is under arrest. I don't know on what charge," his dad Peter claims to the Daily Mail. "I'm not sure where he is being held. But he will call me later today."
However, Price responds to the claims on Instagram, writing: "THIS IS FAKE NEWES [sic] LEE IS STILL MISSING ME AND HIS FAMILY KNOW WHATS GOING ON AND WORKING WITH THE AUTHORITIES INVOLVED."
Peter doubles down that his son is 'not at my house' as Andrews had been living with him before he became involved with Price.
Meanwhile, Price releases a song on Instagram, writing: "Missing my husband so much it breaks my heart knowing he is still missing so I did this song quick as words mean so much to the situation."
24 May: A source tells The Sun that Andrews' phone has been turned back on
A source tells The Sun: "I had been messaging Lee and was getting no response.
"But on Sunday morning, my messages had gone from a single tick to a double – so that device is back on and being used. Lee has multiple phones but this is the one that is being used now."
27 May: Price claims she has found her husband
Price tells The Sun that she had a two-minute call with him, allegedly from prison in Dubai.
“I told him how worried I had been and told him I loved him. It was very rushed, but he said the authorities out there thought he was a spy. I don’t know much more than that right now.”
Topics: Katie Price, Dubai, Celebrity News
James Moorhouse