A young woman reportedly lived in 'hellish' conditions in a foreign prison over a 'very stupid mistake'.
Mia O'Brien from Liverpool, UK, has reportedly been sentenced to life behind bars for a crime her family have not disclosed.
A GoFundMe page for the 23-year-old, which has been taken down, had raised around $950 before it was shut down.
Her heartbroken mom, Danielle, wrote in the fundraiser that her daughter had gotten 'mixed up in the wrong so-called friends' and 'made a very stupid mistake and is now paying the price', adding: "Mia has been given a life sentence over in Dubai, and she is now in central prison.
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"As you can all probably imagine, as her mother, I am absolutely devastated. I haven't seen my daughter since last October."
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Danielle added that her daughter is 'going through it at the minute' following her sentencing.
She also added that she's 'just been transferred to another prison after getting a life sentence', adding: "It's been a massive shock."
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O'Brien was previously held in Dubai's central prison, which was reportedly a rather unpleasant experience.
According to a report by The Independent, human rights organizations have flagged several concerns over the treatment of inmates there, such as a lack of access to healthcare and poor sanitary facilities. Meanwhile, former inmates and their families have described the jail as 'hellish'.
A blog post from Detained in Dubai claims that inmates 'get given a white uniform, no coloured anythings allowed, so white pant/socks etc', adding that you may be 'lucky' enough to get a bed, but 'more likely you’ll be on your blanket (which isn’t washed) on the floor'.
David Haigh, a former managing director of Leeds United who had been held for almost two years for alleged fraud charges, also told The Independent of what life was like behind bars.
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"The only way to describe being in prison in Dubai is hell," he said in 2015. "I was held for 22 months and I’ll never forget it – the stench, the dirt, the smell, the heat, and the lack of any information whatsoever."
Haigh claimed he was also subjected to beatings, sexual assault and torture by officers and recalled at least one disturbing incident where three guards reportedly 'stood' on the neck of a fellow inmate.
“The worst of this abuse was perpetrated by the prison guards and police. I lost a lot of weight through stress,” he alleged.
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“Once, when I asked for some painkillers, a guard hit me over the head with a broom handle. When someone’s beating you or hurting you in whatever form, in a weird way, you can deal with that. What I found more harrowing was seeing them do it to other prisoners in front of everyone.”
Haigh was released and acquitted after 23 months of detention in 2016, but claims he endured months of living under the 'constant threat of abuse' and stress.
A life sentence in Dubai can mean 25 years of imprisonment, depending on the nature of the alleged crime.
The fundraiser set up to help with O'Brien's legal fees has since been removed from GoFundMe, with a spokesperson telling The Sun: "It was removed because it violates Term 9 of the Prohibited Conduct section in our Terms of Service.
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"Term 9 prohibits raising funds on GoFundMe for the legal defence of certain alleged crimes."
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