Major update as student, 23, was 'jailed for life' abroad after making a 'very stupid mistake'
There's been a major update in the case of 23-year-old student Mia O'Brien, who has been jailed in Dubai.
Mia, from Merseyside in the UK, was given a life sentence after she was allegedly found with 50g of cocaine in Dubai.
The 23-year-old is reportedly being held in Dubai's central prison, where inmates have described conditions as being 'hellish'.
"I haven't seen my daughter since last October. Mia is only 23 years old and has never done a bad thing in her life," said Mia's mum, Danielle McKenna, in a fundraiser set up to help with costs.
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"This is a young girl, who went to university to do law, and unfortunately got mixed up in the wrong so-called friends and made a very stupid mistake and is now paying the price."
Although Danielle had set up the fundraiser for her daughter, there had been some issues with GoFundMe, with a spokesperson explaining at the time that it had violated their terms.
In a Facebook post earlier this month, Danielle provided her bank details and wrote: "I am going to set up my own, as they [GoFundMe] are nitpicking at everything... I would just like to thank everyone."
In a statement, a GoFundMe spokesperson explained: "It was removed because it violates Term 9 of the Prohibited Conduct section in our Terms of Service.
"Term 9 prohibits raising funds on GoFundMe for the legal defence of certain alleged crimes."
There's now been a new update in the case, with Danielle since setting up a new page with the Christian fundraising site GiveSendGo, which has raised £420 ($561) so far.
"As everyone knows by now, Mia has been given a life sentence in Dubai, and is now in central prison," she said.
"I am asking for your help, so that family can get over to Dubai to visit Mia, as we haven’t seen her since last October, and it would also really help with any other fees that we may face a long the way. Even if it’s only a £1 it could help us massively. Thank you so much."
While it previously wasn't known what crime Mia had been sentenced for, it has now been revealed she is in prison after she was allegedly found with 50g of cocaine.
"She's just made a stupid mistake after going over to see a friend and her boyfriend in Dubai," Dannielle told the DailyMail.com.
"... She was crying on the phone and saying 'Oh mum - please forgive me'. I definitely don't think she was going to sell the drugs or bring them back.
"It's a lot of drugs but there are others involved and she has just been caught up in it."
Mia is due to have an appeal in the next few weeks and is hopeful she may be allowed to serve the rest of her sentence closer to home.
"She is devastated by what has happened," said Danielle.
"We we were all shocked by the sentence she was given.
"But Mia is being really brave about it but she really misses her two young brothers who are aged just five and seven."
An FCDO Spokesperson said: "We are supporting the family of a British woman detained in the UAE and are in contact with the local authorities."
Topics: News, World News, Drugs, Crime
Lucy Devine