Mum of 23-year-old facing death by firing squad reveals 'biggest fear' as murder trial is delayed
The mother of a 23-year-old woman who has been arrested in Dubai has shared her biggest fear as her daughter is in prison awaiting trial.
Brooke George, 23, was arrested in the UAE after being accused of stabbing a 26-year-old British man to death in the country.
George had reportedly flown out to meet the man, and is alleged to have acted in self-defence after being abused by him, using a knife during a confrontation.
"We believe Brooke was trying to protect herself," George's mum Tess told Metro. "I want the court to look properly at the evidence and everything that happened to her."
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She added: "My greatest fear is that a decision will be made about her future without her voice truly being heard."
If convicted of murder in the UAE, George could face the death penalty.
George, a former John Lewis worker, is said to have travelled to the country to meet William Treeby from Kent, and in June she was arrested as she tried to board a flight to the UK.
She has since been charged with premeditated murder over Treeby's death.
"Brooke is locked up in overcrowded conditions at a police station notorious for Human Rights violations," said Tess.
"It’s appalling to continue to detain someone for so long pre-trial in such awful conditions."
The group Detained in Dubai, which acts on behalf of people arrested in the country, has said that Brooke had met Treeby on Facebook and went to meet him in the UAE.
Once she was there, George has said that Treeby became 'controlling and abusive', and had also 'assaulted' her while they were in Jumeirah Village.
George has claimed that she had been punched as she begged to be given her passport so she could leave.
During a struggle, George says that she had feared for her life, and in self-defence had picked up a kitchen knife which had been 'within her grasp'.
'I am terrified about what could happen to her'
"Watching your daughter go through this and being unable to bring her home is heartbreaking," said Tess.
"To everyone else, Brooke is a name in a court case. To me, she is my little girl, and I am terrified about what could happen to her."
George's next hearing will be on 28 October, and both her lawyers and her family have been drawing attention to the conditions in prison while she waits for her next hearing, with a murder trial reportedly delayed after a 'witness no-show', according to Detained in Dubai.
Her mum has claimed that George cannot sleep due to the presence of constant bright lights in the room, which are left on all the time, and that she had been promised medication to help her sleep, but has not received it.
Tess has also said that there are severe restrictions on phone calls, meaning that she is finding it very difficult to have any contact with her daughter.
"Brooke is barely able to make a telephone call and it gets cut off very quickly," said Tess.
She added: "I haven’t been able to hug her or comfort her except with words on the phone. That part is really distressing."
'Brooke is suffering terribly'
Radha Stirling, founder of Detained in Dubai, said: "Brooke is suffering terribly. Her family describes a young woman who is increasingly upset, unable to sleep and struggling to maintain even the briefest contact with home."
Describing where George is being held, Stirling said: "Brooke remains in temporary police detention, with her family reporting constant bright lights, broken sleep and increasing distress. These facilities were never designed for long-term habitation."
Tess and Stirling have also raised George's case with the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office.
A spokesperson for the FCDO said in a statement: "We are in contact with a British woman detained in the UAE and are supporting her family. We are in contact with the relevant authorities in the UAE and the UK."
Stirling said: "Whatever the allegations, she is entitled to humane treatment while her case is heard."
Topics: World News, UK News
Kit Roberts