Mum of Brit facing death penalty in Dubai begs authorities not to make her 'little girl face the firing squad'
The mother of a 'terrified' British influencer who is facing the death penalty in Dubai has issued an urgent plea, explaining her daughter 'doesn’t know what to do'.
Brooke George, from Gravesend in Kent, was taken into custody on Monday (22 June) and has been charged with the murder of a man she was in a relationship with after meeting him on Facebook.
According to campaign group Detained in Dubai, 23-year-old George, who has 100,000 followers on TikTok, flew out to Dubai to meet the man and 'had the time of her life' before travelling back to the UK.
However, the man then became 'increasingly controlling and abusive' when she flew out on a later trip.
Advert
In a new interview with The Sun, George’s mum Tess claims her daughter was 'absolutely terrified' when she called home just hours before the tragedy.
Tess said: “She was petrified. Absolutely terrified. She said, ‘Mum, I just want to come home. I’m scared.’
“That’s all she said, over and over and over again.”
George claims that the man assaulted her after a night out in Jumeirah Village, prompting her to arrange a flight back to the UK.
When she returned to the apartment to collect her passport, George claims that she was 'punched hard in the face and attacked', leaving her 'fearing for her life'.
She picked up a kitchen knife during the frenzy and 'acted in self defence', Detained in Dubai said.
George now faces the death penalty and the prospect of the firing squad, if she’s convicted.
Tess told the publication that her daughter still hasn’t met with a lawyer and 'doesn’t know what has been said' or 'what she signed'.
“They won’t tell her, they won’t converse with her, or even ask her about her safeguarding issues,” she said.
“As you can imagine, she is terrified. She’s vulnerable. She doesn’t know what to do.”
Radha Stirling, the CEO of Detained in Dubai, said the case ‘raises serious concerns about violence against women, the right to self defence, due process and the treatment of British nationals detained overseas’.
“Brooke maintains that she acted only after being subjected to a violent assault and in genuine fear for her safety. She should be treated not merely as an accused person, but as a presumed victim of violence whose allegations and documented injuries deserve proper investigation,” she added.
“We will be working to ensure that her rights are protected, that she receives a fair trial, and that the circumstances leading to this tragedy are fully and impartially examined.”
A spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said previously of George's case: “We are supporting a British national detained in the UAE and are in contact with the local authorities and the family.”
The death penalty for murder in UAE explained
The maximum sentence for premeditated murder in UAE is either life imprisonment or execution by firing squad.
The death penalty can also be applied to crimes of espionage, treason, perjury and drug trafficking in the country. However, it is rarely carried out.
Under Islamic law, the victim's family can request the death penalty if it's proven the murder was planned, or related to another crime.
Alternatively, the family can waive their right to the death penalty, and the accused will serve a minimum of seven years in prison.
The victim's family can also demand blood money, or diya, instead of a death sentence.
Claire Reid