A girl from Gravesend who describes herself as an influencer, is facing the death penalty in Dubai, after she was charged with the murder of a 26-year-old man.
Brooke George, 23, travelled to the city with Bill Treeby, from Rainham, after developing a relationship online.
Brooke said she met Bill on Facebook and the pair flew to Dubai for a week initially, which she described as the “time of my life”. During their second trip, the influencer said she saw his behaviour change dramatically.
Things went wrong when she claims he became controlling and violent. She is accused of fatally stabbing him, but alleges she acted in self-defence after being repeatedly assaulted.
Brooke, a former John Lewis shop assistant, is now being held at the notorious Bur Dubai prison and faces the death penalty by firing squad if convicted.
Human rights group Detained in Dubai is urging authorities to treat the incident as a domestic abuse case and to release Brooke on bail pending an investigation.
The 23-year-old’s family said she contacted them in a state of panic after being punched repeatedly.
Desperate to leave the UAE, she arranged a flight home with help from friends and returned to the apartment solely to recover her passport.
The family say she was crying and begging for her passport’s return when she was punched hard in the face and attacked.
Brooke says she feared for her life and, reaching for a kitchen knife within her grasp, acted in self- defence.
She was arrested in the early hours of 22nd June and charged with murder after police stopped her at Dubai airport.
Brooke maintains that she acted only after being subjected to a violent assault and in genuine fear for her safety.
