The mother of a British student sentenced to life imprisonment in Dubai has launched a plea for funds to help her.
Mia O’Brien, 23, made a ‘stupid mistake’ while in the United Arab Emirates city last year and is reportedly now being held at the Al-Awir central prison.
Her mum Dannielle McKenna had set up two online fundraisers in order to help pay for her daughter’s legal aid and for a family member to visit her.
However, both were removed after they failed to comply with website rules which bans campaigns for funds for the defence of ‘certain crimes’.
She wrote on Facebook: ‘Seems as the go fund me are being absolute c***s, I am going to set up my own, as they are nitpicking at everything, so they can shove there cut up there a**e, call themselves a charity, but make sure they take a percentage out of every donation.’
On her original fundraising page, McKenna said she hadn’t seen her daughter, a law student, since last October.
‘Mia is 23 years old and has never done a bad thing in her life’, she pleaded.
But she revealed that during a visit to the UAE, Mia was now ‘paying the price’ after getting ‘mixed up in the wrong so-called friends’.
She told the Daily Mail the ordeal had been ‘a massive shock’.
‘She’s going through it at the minute. She’s just been transferred to another prison after getting a life sentence’, she said.
While the mother has yet to confirm the details of Mia’s conviction, the Sun reported that she had been detained for possessing 50g of cocaine.
As well as a life-sentence, which in the UAE can last up to 25 years, the mother revealed in a video several months ago, Mia was also given a fine of 500,000 dirhams.
Dubai operates a zero-tolerance policy towards drugs, with visitors even prosecuted for substances found in their blood.
Sentences range from a three-month prison sentence and a fine for even the smallest offences to death.
Several skincare products and e-cigarette refills contain substances that are illegal in the UAE, such as CBD oil.
The Home Office travel advice for the UAE reads: ‘UAE airports have excellent technology 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.’
A spokesperson for the Foreign Commonwealth and Development office (FCDO) said that it was assisting a woman detained in the UAE and liaising with local authorities.
Metro has contacted the crowdfunding website for comment.
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