Mother and daughter locked in Dubai Jail

[Blondielongie]

Is there already a thread about this?

I haven't seen one; but I also think the news reports are quite uncertain.

From what the reputable papers (if we have those anymore!) are saying; she had an invalid visa; argued with the officials, and then was asked if she'd been drinking - which she didn't admit to at first, but did start filming them; which is illegal in most countries.

Her husband and daughter are now back in the U.K. but she has "chosen to stay in Dubai with friends".

If her version is true; that's shocking. If the above is - I expect it's very similar to what would happen here if you turned up with no visa and were argumentative; and possibly drunk and disorderly.

Thank you, I couldn't find anything on BBC, it was the mirror! Have you got a link by any chance?

The Guardian is reporting she had a glass of wine on her flight. She was flying with Emirates which is the national carrier. It quotes someone from a prisoner charity stating that alcohol is wholly illegal - even if provided by Dubai's own airline.

So it could be that she was drunk and argumentative, or that she's fallen foul of a legal system that can perform a 'gotcha'.

I think she is being held in Dubai, not choosing to stay with friends.

She isn't being held in Dubai but they have removed her passport so she currently has no option but to stay with friends in country as far as I am aware.

I read this yesterday and felt that what's being reported can't be the full story. There must be a fairly significant history that hasn't come out yet.

From what I've read it seems her initial 'crime' was having an invalid visa, then when she became argumentative and started filming them that's when they asked about alcohol consumption.

The headline I read initially made it sound like she was arrested for having had a glass of wine on the flight but I see now that's not the case.

I think the media are spinning it as being about the wine but actually she was argumentative about the visa issue.

She was stopped at the airport for having the wrong visa, she wasn't arrested for that but she apparently started getting very defensive and filming the airport guard which isn't allowed and then when asked if she had been drinking she said yes she had on the flight which is why she was arrested. It's illegal to have alcohol in your blood a rule which isn't always enforced obviously but she was causing problems and apparently being quite rude to the airport staff and filming so it was enforced because of her general behaviour.
It wasn't as clear cut as she had a glass of wine and so was arrested. It was a culmination of the above. Or so I understand from what I've read and people I have spoken to living over there who have read different reports.

Yep. I think if she had got back on a flight to the U.K. to sort out her visa there wouldn’t have been a problem. Arguing with the immigration people and filming them even when asked to stop is not a good idea and unfortunately for her has proven a point that what you can get away with in the U.K. you can’t get away with elsewhere.

this whole story is a bit of a weird one imo, quite clearly its got nothing to do with alcohol and is more to do with the expired visa/passport/row with official.

I've seen this woman posted about in instagram, she's friends with quite a few fashion bloggers, eg DMBL40 goes to her for botox, Style Mum has been on holiday with her. I find it a bit odd that none of them have posted about this or come to her defense.

Unless you are obviously muslin and drunk you’re unlikely to get arrested for drinking alcohol in Dubai, it’s very available.

The woman said she was phoned to say come and get your passport and we’ll deport you (Metro online) so it’s unlikely that she was in a holding cell even as they take evrything off you. (Phone, shoes, jewelry etc)

Iranian passports are no use in the UAE, she kicked off because of the cost of a new visa and that she’d only be entitled to a 96hr transit visa. Her Swedish passport had expired, it’s needs to be valid for 6months from date of entry, true for most countries.

Using your phone (for any reason) at immigration isn’t allowed in the UK either.