British student sentenced to 25 years in Dubai prison: what happened.

The mother of the law student sentenced in Dubai has started a new fundraising campaign

According to The Sun: The mother of a British law student who ended up in a horrific Dubai prison with a life sentence has organized a new crowdfunding project.

Mia O'Brien, who resides in Huyton, Merseyside, was sentenced to 25 years in prison after being arrested with 50 grams of cocaine, according to her mother.

alt='Photo of Mia O'Brien and her mother.' class='alignnone size-thesun-article-image wp-image-36604201' width='622' height='614' /> GoFundMe

After Mia's GoFundMe account was suddenly removed on Friday for violating the rules, her mother, Danielle McKenna, launched a new fundraiser.

Posting her bank details on Facebook, Danielle urged people to provide assistance directly to her.

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She criticized the fundraising website, stating:

“I am going to create my own as they [GoFundMe] are holding onto everything”

.

Danielle explained that direct donations would help avoid losses, adding:

“I just want to thank everyone”

.

This came after Mia's father made a plea, assuring that Mia “has never done anything wrong in her life.”

Her family acknowledged that she made “a very foolish mistake” that led to horrific consequences in a United Arab Emirates prison.

The cocaine with which Mia was detained last October had a street value of about £2,500 in the UK.

A large quantity of drugs was found in her apartment 'in one big chunk'.

The law student from the University of Liverpool was arrested along with a friend and her boyfriend.

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All three were accused of drug trafficking, after which Mia was sentenced by the judge following a one-day hearing on July 25.

She was also fined £100,000 before being sent to Dubai Central Prison, also known as Al-Awir.

This prison has gained a bad reputation, dubbed 'Dubai's version' of Alcatraz.

 

“Mia feels that she has ruined her life, as she wanted to become a lawyer or solicitor,”

- said Danielle in an interview with the Daily Mail.

“I communicate with her, but she cannot talk much on the phone,” - she added.

“She just made a silly mistake by going to see her friend and her boyfriend in Dubai.”

alt='Photo of Mia O'Brien in a black bikini.' class='alignnone size-thesun-article-image wp-image-36604265' width='412' height='886' /> GoFundMe

Mia claims she did not plead guilty to the intent to supply drugs.

However, the judge quickly concluded the process and sentenced her to life, of which she must serve 25 years.

Danielle noted:

“The trial was conducted only in Arabic, and Mia was informed of the verdict by her lawyer.”

“She is absolutely confused about what happened. Mia is trying to hold on, but I know she is experiencing real hell.”

Mia and Danielle maintain contact as much as possible during the incarceration.

The student shares a cell with six other women and is forced to sleep on the floor, having only a mattress and pillow.

 

“Conditions in this prison are horrific. There is virtually no security, and she has to bang on the large doors if she needs something,”

- Danielle reported.

 

“She has seen fights and was very scared.”

 

“She cried on the phone and said: 'Oh, mom – please forgive me'.”

alt='Entrance to Central Prison.' class='alignnone size-thesun-article-image wp-image-36597752' width='960' height='623' /> AFP

Until today, the family has kept information about the reasons for Mia's imprisonment a secret.

Danielle admitted that their family was shocked to learn about the drugs.

Mia has never taken drugs and could not even imagine selling cocaine, according to her mother.

Danielle is confident that her daughter is innocent, calling her

“a victim of improper justice”

.

She also stated:

“I definitely don't think she planned to sell drugs or transport them back.”

Mia is expected to receive an appeal in the coming weeks, and her mother hopes she can return to the UK soon.

Inside 'Dubai's version of Alcatraz'

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MIA O'BRIEN is being held in Al-Awir Central Prison in Dubai.

This prison is designed for men and women, who are separated after passing through the eerie gates.

Women make up one of four blocks inside the massive prison, according to information from the UK government.

Horrific tales from inmates who have served time paint a disturbing picture of Al-Awir.

In 2012, Carl Williams was imprisoned for a year after police found drugs in the trunk of his rental car.

During his time, he compared Al-Awir prison to “Dubai's version of Alcatraz.”

In his memoir, he describes witnessing violence when inmates beat each other to death during conflicts that guards did not respond to.

He also claims that during interrogation, police electrified his genitals.

 

“They pulled down my pants, spread my legs, and started electrifying my genitals,”

- his testimony states.

 

“It was incredibly painful. I was very scared. I started believing that I would die in that room.”

Their lawyers also claimed that men were forced to sign documents in Arabic under the threat of a gun.

Carl reported that Russian criminals controlled prison blocks and used inmates with HIV for rape and deliberate infection of others as a method of punishment.

At least four HIV inmates in Al-Awir, according to another shocking report by Human Rights Watch, were denied medical treatment for five months.

British footballer Billy Good also expressed similar allegations, claiming that inmates were tortured and left without medical care due to illnesses.

His accusations were echoed in 2021 by 60-year-old Albert Douglas, who noted that inmates were subjected to rape, torture, and starvation by cruel guards.

The prison system and the government of Dubai deny all allegations.

Danielle hopes that Mia can get a plea deal that will allow her to serve the remainder of her sentence closer to home.

The emotional mother shared: “Mia is coping but misses her younger brothers, who are just five and seven years old.”

“She just wants to come home. I also want her to come back – she is my only daughter.”

“She can’t wait to return. She said life in prison can be scary, but she is trying to hold on.”

Mia's story was initially published by her family on GoFundMe when they were seeking donations to visit her.

But on Friday, the GoFundMe page mysteriously disappeared.

It turned out that it was removed for violating platform rules.

A GoFundMe representative told The Sun: “It was removed as it violates Section 9 of the prohibited behavior section in our Terms of Service.”

 

“Section 9 prohibits fundraising on GoFundMe for legal defense in certain cases.”

The fundraising effort, which aimed to raise £1,600, had only about £700 at the time of removal.

Details to follow… For the latest news on this story, follow us on The Sun Online.

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