TikTok influencer charged with Dubai murder
Brooke George is being held in Dubai
ByCatherine Evans
South East
A 23-year-old TikTok influencer charged with the murder of her boyfriend in Dubai is facing death by firing squad, a human rights group has said.
Brooke George, from Gravesend, Kent, has been charged over the stabbing of a man who she was in a relationship with after they met online.
Advocacy group Detained in Dubai say she claims she grabbed a knife in self defence during a violent attack by her partner in the UAE. The organisation called for her to be released on bail and for the incident to be dealt with as a domestic violence case.
The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office said it was supporting a British woman detained in the UAE and her family.
Former John Lewis worker George was arrested in the early hours of 22 June and charged with premeditated murder.
She faces execution under UAE laws if convicted.
While she has been held at Bur Dubai Police Station she has alleged being forced to strip naked in front of male officers, without a female officer present, which she said was "deeply humiliating and distressing".
'Change in behaviour'
On her first visit to Dubai, George had described it as "the time of my life".
But, according to Radha Stirling, chief executive of Detained in Dubai, the relationship began to reveal disturbing signs of abuse on their second trip to the Gulf city.
Stirling said George has claimed her partner became "increasingly controlling and abusive" and she was trying to leave Dubai after he allegedly punched her partner then witheld her passport before attacking her again at their apartment.
She has claimed she "feared for her life and, reaching for a kitchen knife within her grasp, acted in self defence".
Brooke George had enjoyed her first trip to the luxurious Gulf city of Dubai, but says she later tried to escape from her partner
In a statement, her mother Thereza George said: "After Brooke returned to Dubai for the second time, the dynamic between them had clearly changed.
"The day before the incident, she did not seem like herself. She was quieter and not her usual happy, cheerful self, but she did not tell me why.
"That evening they went to a bar in Dubai. When I spoke to Brooke right after the incident, she was absolutely terrified. I have never seen my daughter so frightened in my life. She was crying uncontrollably. I could see that one of her eyes was badly swollen and was beginning to close.
"As Brooke's mother, I am deeply concerned for her welfare. The daughter I spoke to that night was utterly terrified. I firmly believe she was desperately trying to get home and away from whatever had happened to her."
Brooke was an influencer on social media
Stirling said: "Those closest to Brooke became increasingly concerned that she may have been lured to Dubai under false pretences for the purpose of exploitation.
"Their concerns were fuelled by his unexplained change in behaviour, the one way ticket, the bikini clad professional photo shoot arranged during her first visit, the alleged withholding of her passport, Brooke telling friends that 'things weren't right', and her growing fear that she needed to escape.
"Brooke reported seeing disturbing videos on his computer and being assaulted by him before the fatal incident."
Legal rights
Detained in Dubai said George had not been given access to her embassy and had to make statements without a lawyer present.
The case "raises serious concerns about violence against women, the right to self defence, due process and the treatment of British nationals detained overseas," Stirling said.
She added: "We are calling for Brooke to be released on bail pending the outcome of the investigation. The UAE has a well documented history of criminalising and revictimising women who report violence."
Detained in Dubai has called for George to receive "protection, appropriate medical care, legal representation and immediate British consular assistance while the investigation proceeds".
In a statement, the The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office said: "We are in touch with a British woman detained in the UAE, we are supporting her family, and we are in contact with the local authorities."
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