New update on British student, 23, jailed for life in Dubai over 'very stupid mistake'
The mother of a British student jailed for life in Dubai has shared a new update on her daughter's situation.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that 23-year-old Mia O’Brien had been handed a life sentence in the UAE city after being accused of drug trafficking, after police discovered 50 grams of cocaine in the apartment she was staying in.
The Liverpool law student has denied all charges against her, with her mother Danielle McKenna saying her daughter made a 'very stupid mistake' and got mixed up with 'the wrong so-called friends'.
According to Danielle, her daughter's trial was conducted completely in Arabic, with Mia discovering that she'd been handed a life sentence through her lawyer,
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A life sentence for foreign nationals in Dubai is a maximum of 25 years followed by deportation.
The sentence is handed down in cases such as drug trafficking, possession of drugs, terrorism charges, murder and human trafficking.
In addition to the life sentence, Mia was also handed a fine of £100,000.
She will now serve her sentence in Dubai central prison, the same facility where British teenager Marcus Fakana was incarcerated.
Conditions in the prison have been described as 'hellish' by human rights groups, with Detained in Dubai noting that inmates typically sleep in overcrowded rooms, often without a bed, and regularly served rice for their meals.
Allegations of torture and rape against inmates have also been reported by former detainees.
Danielle has also spoken out about her daughter's living conditions inside the prison, saying she is sharing a cell with six others and sleeps on a mattress on the floor. She has also witnessed fights between inmates.
In the latest update on the case, Danielle has set up another fundraiser in hopes of people able to fly out and visit her daughter behind bars.
Hosted on the Christian donation site GiveSendGo, Danielle has so far been able to raise £420 in donations and is hoping to use money raised to cover various fees.
"I am asking for your help, so that family can get over to Dubai to visit Mia, as we haven’t seen her since last October, and it would also really help with any other fees that we may face a long the way," she wrote.
"Even if it’s only a £1 it could help us massively. Thank you so much."
Danielle had previously set up a fundraiser for her daughter on GoFundMe, however this was later removed in line with the websites' terms of service, which prohibits fundraising 'for the legal defence of certain alleged crimes'.
Following the removal of the GoFundMe page, Danielle had shared her bank details publicly on Facebook in search of donations.
Brenna Cooper