Dubai - THE TRUTH

Girl traumatised by male attacker in The Gardens, Dubai.

2012-10-29T08:53:00.002-07:00

The 12-year-old victim says a man molested her as she went out to dispose garbage.

Image Credit: GULF NEWS ARCHIVE
A view of The Gardens. Photo for illustrative purposes only

Dubai: A family has been left traumatised after their 12-year-old daughter claimed she was molested in front of their building in Dubai.

Police are investigating after a complaint by the girl’s father.

The Indian family lives in The Gardens, Jebel Ali, where a similar incident happened in August.

Speaking about Thursday’s incident, the girl’s father said: “It happened at around 11am as my daughter went out to dispose off the garbage in front of the building entrance. She was sexually harassed by a man who was standing near the elevator. My daughter said the man seemed Arab, was around 30-40 years old and fair-skinned with blond hair and a small beard.”

When the girl did not return home soon, her mother and elder sister went looking for her.

The father tried to call The Gardens’ security office, but got no response. He then called the police who arrived within minutes.The victim’s father said: “The man must have seen my wife and other daughter approaching the entrance of the building, so he let go of my daughter and ran away. My wife started screaming and I ran out to look for the man, but could not find him.”

“My daughter was scared to death and asked me not to tell the police. She claimed that the man threatened to kill her if she went to the police. My family and neighbours went to Jebel Ali police station and registered a case.”

Fearing for the girl’s safety, the family has decided to move out of The Gardens.

In August, Gulf News reported how a woman warned residents in The Gardens after a man allegedly exposed himself to her.

The man in that incident was described as in his 30’s, almost six feet tall, and fair-skinned.

Security at The Gardens confirmed to Gulf News in August that they had received two other reports about a suspect who matched the description committing indecent acts in front of women.

Dubai Police officials on Sunday confirmed a man has recently been arrested in connection with the three incidents in August.

Lt Colonel Ahmad Humaid Al Merri, Director of the Criminal Investigation Department at Dubai Police, told Gulf News that the police will do their best to find the man.

“This is a very serious matter,” he said.

UAE rape victims urged to step forward

2012-08-18T03:18:00.001-07:00

UAE laws encourage victims to lodge civil lawsuits to claim emotional, mental, medical and financial compensation.

Image Credit: Supplied
Highlighting an important fact, Dahi said most Emirati rape victims tend not to attend court proceedings to avoid embarrassment or confrontation with their rapist.

Dubai: In the hours and days after falling prey to brutal sexual assaults, less than half of female victims actually report the crimes to authorities, federal statistics from the United States suggest.

The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network says that, “54 per cent of rapes and sexual assaults are not reported to the police, according to a statistical average of the past five years. Those rapists, of course, never spend a day in prison. Factoring in unreported rapes, only about three per cent of rapists ever serve a day in jail.”

The US statistics are food for thought in other countries around the world where cases of unreported rape incidents may be even higher given conservative social moraes which frown upon victims albeit the crimes committed against their person are of absolutely no fault of their own.

Leading court officials in the UAE are encouraging female rape victims to bring attackers to justice not only in the criminal courts, but increasingly now in civil courts to file for financial compensation for a raft of physical and emotional damages.

“Although not even all the money in the world would rectify the endless ramifications of the rape, rape victims should always seek civil compensation at least in terms of principle,” he added.Advocate Bin Haidar supports rape victims to lodge civil lawsuits to claim emotional, mental, medical and financial compensation.

According to the civil law, Bin Haidar said a rape victim is entitled to seek emotional compensation for the psychological pain and suffering that followed the incident.

The emotional breakdown, fear of stigma and tendency to isolate themselves is what keeps most rape victims from taking their rapists to civil court, according to advocate Ali Musabbeh Dahi.

“Trauma, feeling of insecurity, disbelief and mistrust are the harshest emotional effects that hit a rape victim. They also tend to detach themselves from the society completely. Those are major reasons that discourage a raped woman from lodging a civil lawsuit. Another reason is the fear of seeing her rapist again during the investigation or litigation process … and especially when the defendants claim to prosecutors or the courts that it was consensual sex,” said Dahi.

Highlighting an important fact, Dahi said most Emirati rape victims tend not to attend court proceedings to avoid embarrassment or confrontation with their rapist.

Meanwhile, some expatriate women leave the country immediately after giving their statement to police or prosecution.

Advocate Dahi strongly encouraged rape victims to take civil action against rapists.

“The main goal of a civil lawsuit is to help a rape victims recover from her emotional and psychological damage. Evidently no amount of money would ever compensate the physical and emotional torment of raped females, and particularly who become women after the attack. But a compensatory amount from a civil lawsuit could help a rape victim rehabilitate herself witha psychiatrist and rebuild her life.”

His fellow counterpart advocate Rashid Tahlak said rape victims do require and deserve compensation.

“The aftermath of rape haunts a female forever and particularly those who hadn’t had relationships before.

The most crucial effect on a rape victim is that she may lose potential husbands. Unfortunately in the Arab world we have this mentality in which men prefer to marry a virgin. If a woman had two queues of husbands-to-be, as soon as those men realize that she is a rape victim, the two becomes half a queue if not nil,” stressed Tahlak.

As per the UAE Civil Law, Tahlak said, a rape victim is entitled to seek financial compensation for loss of potential gains [such as husbands] and incurred damages.

“Regrettably there is an unfortunate mentality among several communities that denounce raped females and accuse them of subjecting themselves to such encounters. A raped woman is a victim and the society should not perceive them with contempt,” concluded Tahlak.

Lenient Sentence For Young Man Convicted Of Smuggling 3.1kg Heroin

2011-06-07T03:40:00.000-07:00

A court dealt leniently with a passenger convicted of smuggling 3.1 kilograms of heroin when it reduced his prison
sentence to a year in jail in view of his young age.

Dubai: A court dealt leniently with a passenger convicted of smuggling 3.1 kilograms of heroin when it reduced his prison sentence to a year in jail in view of his young age [under 21].

The Dubai Court of First Instance ordered that the Pakistani defendant, M.A., be jailed for one year and fined him Dh50,000 for possessing the narcotics which he was attempting to smuggle to Bangkok via Dubai International Airport's transit section. Presiding Judge Hamad Abdul Latif Abdul Jawad ordered that the accused be deported after serving his term.

Confession

"Yes I am guilty. I brought the heroin from someone in Pakistan and I was taking it, via transit, to Bangkok," M.A. admitted.

Presiding Judge Abdul Jawad had earlier requested the Public Prosecution to provide an official personal identification document confirming M.A.'s age. He turned out to be under 21.

According to the Criminal Procedures Law and Penal Code, a judge has the discretion to consider a suspect's young age [below 21 years] as a factor for leniency.

Smuggling Drugs is alright, the actual crime is bouncing a cheque. The UAE clearly has no justice system, or they simply lack understanding and common sense.

Teen Accused Of Attempted Murder

2011-05-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

18-year-old Emirati has been accused of attempted murder after he allegedly grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed his 21-year-old brother following an argument.

"He rushed to the kitchen, grabbed a knife and came and stabbed me"

Dubai: An 18-year-old Emirati has been accused of attempted murder after he allegedly grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed his 21-year-old brother following an argument.

The Family and Juveniles Prosecution charged suspect, H.M., with premeditatedly trying to kill A.M. The Dubai Court of First Instance's Presiding Judge Al Saeed Mohammad Barghout adjourned the case yesterday, ordering H.M., who failed to appear, to attend next month's hearing.

"My brother and I had a misunderstanding. He rushed to the kitchen, grabbed a knife and came and stabbed me. He took me by surprise and stabbed me on the right side of my stomach and the left side of my chest," A.M. told the prosecution.

Swift medical intervention allegedly saved A.M.'s life, the court heard.

A policeman testified that he played a role detaining the defendant. "During questioning, he admitted that he stabbed his brother," he claimed.

Dubai rape attack on British Girl, Aged only 10

2011-05-25T01:53:00.000-07:00

A TEN-year-old British girl was snatched by two sex fiends who tried to rape her in
Dubai.

She had gone to look for mice in a sandy play area close to her parents' home in the Arab emirate.

One man grabbed her from behind as a second attacker tried to pull down her pants and kissed her mouth.

But the brave girl fought back, kicking out and screaming at the evil pair until she broke free and ran off. She was missing from her frantic family for more than two hours before she was found, traumatised and in tears.

Bangladeshi Abdul Aziz, 27, has been charged with attempted rape and has appeared in court in Dubai.

Aziz is said to have admitted to police that he and another man saw the girl on her bike.

He is said to have told officers he stopped her, then tried to undress her for sex but she escaped after struggling violently.

Police said the second suspect was still at large.

The girl's father - a British company manager - dashed home after being called at work by his anxious wife.

The dad rushed back and began scouring the neighbourhood with his wife and helpers.

The girl was found at 6pm in the evening in January, shocked and weeping, beside a security guard from the luxury complex where the family lives.

A Dubai court source said yesterday: "It was an etremely serious assault - the prosecution say there was clear intent to rape or carry out a serious sexual assault on the girl.

"She was very lucky to escape and very brave to have fought back.

"Her parents were frantic when she disappeared and incredibly relieved when she was found."

The trial was adjourned until a date to be fixed next month.

Man jumps to death off world's tallest tower in Dubai

2011-05-17T02:45:00.001-07:00

May 10 - A man threw himself off the world's tallest building in Dubai, its developer said, plummeting to his death in the first suicide from Burj Khalifa tower.

The man, believed to be in his twenties and of South Asian background, jumped from the 147th floor of the 828-metre (2,717 feet) skyscraper and landed on a terrace on the 108th floor, local daily The National reported, but those details were not confirmed by the building's developer.

Emaar (EMAR.DU) said it had a recorded an "incident involving a male" at its Burj Khalifa site on Tuesday morning.

"The concerned authorities have confirmed that it was a suicide and we are awaiting the final report," the statement said. It gave no further details on the incident.

The man may have worked at a company inside the 160-storey building, the paper said, adding that police said statements showed a holiday he had requested was turned down.

Family look to inmates

2011-05-17T02:07:00.000-07:00

A website urging former inmates of Bur Dubai Police Station to share their experiences has been launched by the family of a British tourist who died in custody.

The family of Lee Brown, who was found dead in his cell on April 12, have set up the online portal in a bid to gather
testimonies from anyone held at the detention centre.

“We can’t begin to express the effect that Lee’s shocking death has had and the drive that we now have to ensure that the families of others do not have to endure some of the heartache and pain that we have lived through,” his family said in a statement.

Brown’s mother Doris, brother Steve and sister-in-law Susanne are campaigning for a thorough investigation in the UK into his death. They are worried Brown may have been assaulted while in custody. His body was repatriated two weeks ago and UK authorities have ordered a third independent post mortem be carried out following the two conducted by Dubai Public Prosecution and Dubai Police.

The first found no sign of physical injury while the second concluded Brown had suffered a head wound, bruising to his chin and arms and cuts to his hands.

The UAE Attorney General’s office said the head wound occurred when the tourist violently resisted arrest.

Brown was arrested at the Burj Al Arab hotel on April 6 on suspicion of assaulting a chambermaid. He died six days later. His funeral is due to be held tomorrow at the City of London Cemetery.

To visit the website, go to www.justiceforleebrown.org.

Ambulance...Life Saver or Life Taker ? In Dubai a Life Taker!

2011-04-21T14:32:00.000-07:00

"...the ambulance arrived thirty-five minutes after the call had been made. It was too late; the boy had already lost his life..."

Last week one of our readers neighbor’s eleven-month old crawler choked on a clove of garlic that he picked up from the kitchen floor as his mother was busy cooking. The first-aid trained mum first dialed for an ambulance and then thumped the boy as she tried her best to expel the garlic from his windpipe. Unfortunately, the ambulance arrived thirty-five minutes after the call had been made. It was too late; the boy had already lost his life.

Another lady had to experience a similar loss due to the inefficiency of medical services in Dubai. She had a nasty fall on a slippery bathroom floor and called the ambulance as she was unable to move and could not walk to a cab. When the ambulance arrive an hour and a half later, the woman had already lost her baby due to excessive bleeding.

While Dubai boasts of the world’s tallest tower, world’s biggest hotel, biggest mall, fastest cars, it has the slowest ambulances. ’Our slow information system is to blame,’ says the manager at a renowned hospital in Dubai. ‘When we get a call, we start locating our vehicles and contacting the drivers and the paramedics and at least ten minutes lapse doing just that,’ she says, which is a considerable amount of time in a state of emergency. One lady who called up a government hospital was flatly refused. ‘The staff member who took the call said they cannot send an ambulance as the bed space is overcrowded.’ While its busy making the ’biggest’ of everything in its bid to be a global phenomenon, it’s time Dubai started thinking of the biggest and best emergency services too before so many more lives are lost.

EXCLUSIVE! 'I shared a cell with Lee Bradley Brown'

2011-04-21T06:26:00.000-07:00

The man described Brown's condition as "terrible" but clarified he did not see him being beaten, contradicting British media reports that Brown was tortured by the police.

"I saw him bleeding. He had bruises on his face, shoulder and arms when he asked me for help," said the man who was released from Bur Dubai police station lock-up shortly after Brown's death. "He kept saying: ‘Please help me, please help me'."

"I did not see him being beaten … he did not die in front of me."

XPRESS confirmed the man was in Bur Dubai police station lock-up at the same time as Brown but, honouring his request, will not disclose his name, nationality or the reason for his detention.

"Brown was half naked with both his hands and legs in cuffs. He wore nothing on top … and no shoes… his pants were hanging well below the waist."

"I saw him being served a meal of rice with a piece of chicken and laban (a yoghurt drink). But the food was untouched for two days. I don't know why he didn't eat it... I asked the police to check on him."

The man said the next time he saw Brown was when his body was being taken out in a bag.

"I don't know what happened. [Brown] did not say anything to me in this regard," he said, adding that he had no clue why the Briton came to Dubai or what had transpired at Burj Al Arab.

The European, however, claimed Brown told another inmate that he came to Dubai on someone's invitation. "I believe he never told anyone who that ‘someone' was, he said."

On Monday, the European met Brown's brother and sister-in-law who flew to Dubai to take possession of his body.

"From the very outset, we have been pressing the Dubai authorities for a full investigation into the death of Lee Brown. We are in regular contact with his family and have conveyed their wishes on next steps to the Dubai authorities, and will continue to do so. His family have asked for their privacy to be respected at this very difficult time," said a spokesperson of the British Embassy in an e-mail statement to XPRESS.

A self-employed maintenance worker from Ilford, Essex in East England, Brown, 39, was arrested from the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel after being accused of physically and verbally abusing a female staff member on April 6.

He was taken to Bur Dubai police station where he died on April 12, sparking allegations that he was beaten to death.

Public prosecutors who heard the testimonies of the police said Brown was injured when he banged his head against a wall and tried to throw himself from the hotel's balcony while resisting arrest. Police officers also testified that Brown continued to beat on the metal mesh barrier in the patrol car while he was being driven to the police station.

Essam Al Humaidan, Dubai Attorney-General, said the forensic report showed bruises on Brown's forehead, nose and inner right arm. There were minor injuries below his chin, his sole and his right eyebrow. More abrasions were found on the back of his hands and fingers.

Al Humaidan said the abrasions, four to five days old, were consistent with the witnesses' testimonies and that they were sustained during the "violent resistance" or due to friction from the handcuffs. These injuries were minor and had nothing to do with Brown's cause of death.

He said the report showed that Brown did not suffer from any illness either and that he choked to death on his own vomit.

Earlier, Dubai Police Chief Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim refuted reports saying Brown was tortured. "I am sure that no one used force against the tourist who was in police custody," he told Gulf News.

Public prosecutors also heard the testimony of the Nepalese hotel chambermaid in which she claimed she went to a room for housekeeping on April 6 when Brown abused her and tried to throw her off the balcony.

Brisbane rape victim sues UAE luxury hotel

2011-04-21T06:14:00.000-07:00

"...Drink spiked and was raped by up to four co-workers...''

Alicia Gali had her drink spiked and was raped by up to four co-workers in June 2008. (The Brisbane Times)

A Brisbane woman is suing a five-star hotel in the United Arab Emirates after she was drugged and raped by co-workers and jailed for eight months.

In a landmark case, Alicia Gali, 29, is seeking compensation from her former employer, Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, for breaching its workplace duty of care.

In June 2008 Ms Gali had her drink spiked and was raped by up to four co-workers while working as a beauty salon manager at the international resort.

When she reported the assault to authorities she was jailed on an adultery charge and spent eight months in prison because it is illegal in the UAE to have sex outside marriage.

Australian embassy staff advised Ms Gali and her family not to go to the media during her time in custody, when she was locked in a cell with 30 other women.

She was pardoned and released in March 2009.

Ms Gali alleges the hotel failed to protect staff against assault and its legal consequences.

She says the resort encouraged workers to drink illegally at its staff bar despite strict laws and the requirement of drinking permits.

"I thought I would be safe and protected in an international hotel group," she said in a statement.

"They didn't give me the correct advice and didn't help me when I was charged and imprisoned."

Ms Gali says the harrowing ordeal should be a warning to others.

"I still feel angry and upset. It's distressing because I was a victim in all this and I was punished," she said.

"The UAE is being promoted hugely here as a tourism destination - they sponsor things here.

"They are not complying with human rights, women's rights and migrant workers' rights."

Nightmare continues

Ms Gali's lawyer Melissa Payne says her client suffers severe post traumatic stress disorder, nightmares, flash backs, depression and claustrophobia.

Ms Payne says the incident could have been avoided.

She says the hotel should have had segregated secure quarters for female employees and provide adequate induction training on the local laws and customs.

"When she reported the assault to the human resources manager he did not advise her of the potential consequences of reporting that assault," she said.

"Alicia's employer has let her down in the most terrible, terrible of ways. A company like this should know better.

"The resort promotes itself as paradise on Earth... it wasn't paradise for Alicia."

Ms Payne says the law firm is still preparing its case and will consult UAE legal experts, human rights and labour law experts.

"There was never a prosecution against anyone for sexual assault or rape," she said.

Safety

But Trey Maurice from the international umbrella group Starwood Hotels, which owns the resort, says safety and security of staff is a paramount priority.

Mr Maurice says the management of the resort was aware of the unfortunate circumstances and provided support and assistance to Ms Gali and her family during her imprisonment.

Ms Payne said her client delayed the lawsuit until she had recovered psychologically.

"She now feels brave enough to speak out," she said.

"Alicia is very concerned there are other women who might find themselves in similar situations."

She says it is likely the legal suit will happen in Queensland courts, but there is a possibility it could be heard in the UAE.

"This is a complex area of law, but we are exploring all options," she said.

She says the compensation amount has not yet been determined.

Dubai - The Truth

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/03/29/3176901.htm

Death Penalty in United Arab Emirates

2011-04-19T04:35:00.001-07:00

Open Executions are rare in the UAE. Since 1997, nine people
including a woman, are known to have been executed in the UAE.
All had been convicted of murder. A number of people have been
sentenced to death for drug offences. However, no one is known
to have been executed on drug charges.

Executions are usually by firing-squad" The execution which
enforces Islamic sharia law is being carried out by a firing squad.

Death sentences may be appealed to the ruler of the emirate
in which the offense is committed, or to the president of the
federation, although in the case of murder, only the victim's
family may commute a death sentence. The government normally
negotiates with victims' families for the defendant to
offer financial compensation, or diya, to the victims' families
to receive their forgiveness and commute death sentences.

Death Penalty by firing squad

United Arab Emirates member state Dubai has executed
a Pakistani man, Attaullah Khair Mohammed by firing squad
for murdering an Indian watchman. The official Emirates
News quoted family sources as saying that Mohammed
was put to death on Monday (June 01, 1998) morning
at a local shooting range. A number of officials from the
public prosecutor's office watched the execution.

The United Arab Emirates court of appeals in Al-Fujeira
convicted an Iranian to death after he was found guilty
of smuggling drugs. "The Gulf" daily published this (UAE to
execute Iranian trader: United Arab Emirates, Judicial,
6/19/1998) in Dubai said the court sentenced one
Iranian to 10 years imprisonment for smuggling drugs and
another four Iranian as drug users. However, the sentence
was resumed on the grounds of the law approved in 1995
providing for death penalty over drug smuggling. Between
1996-1998 eight persons have been executed in the UAE
according to this law.

Death Penalty by stoning

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has sentenced foreign
nationals to death by stoning for adultery.

In February 2000, a Shari'a (Islamic) court in the Emirate
ordered an Indonesian domestic worker Kartini bint Karim, to
be stoned to death, reportedly after she confessed to
adultery. During her appeal, however, she reportedly denied
that she had confessed to adultery and her lawyer is said to
have argued that this would not have been possible as she
does not speak Arabic.

Later, an appeal court in the Emirate of Fujairah, where
she had been working legally, fortunately overturned
the death sentence against Kartini bint Karim to one
year's imprisonment, with an order that she be deported
at the end of her sentence.

Viewers Experience '..Women with babies being there for a couple of months...'

2011-04-19T03:23:00.000-07:00

Name: "Sonne"
Country: Germany

Hi, I had a very unpleasant experience last week. I live in Dubai since 5 years and come originally from Germany In 2005 I have opened a company LLC in Dubai with a friend of mine being my locals sponsor. In 2006 I decided to exchange my sponsor against another one, taking another real local sponsor and partner. He has promised me the moon but nothing ever happened.

I finally complained in October 2008 to the Ministry of labor, the economic department, the court. I want to close the company since he never even issued the labor card. I gave up my dream.

In May 2008 I was directed to the Emigration in order to cancel my visa. I have an investor visa, but you still need an non objection letter of your sponsor. He did not give me the letter, so my visa is expired and will not be deleted from the system until you delete it. So I can not search for a job, because my visa needs to transferred.

After complaining to the Emigration, my sponsor took guaranty checks issue to his other company and let them bounce in the bank. I was traveling and they picked me up upon arrival. I spend good 5 hours until they decided to take me to the jail. Since it was Friday night, nobody was available to take up the decision. I had nothing with me. Only what I was wearing and some money.

Saturday, my life partner started to call different people, and apparently he had complained to a high person in jail, so no decision was there. My life partner tried to bring me fresh cloths and a towel. The captain of this station said simply no. I was lucky to get out Sunday morning on a bail, because of a lot of good friends.

NOW: Its not all about me

What I have seen was unbelievable

Women with babies being there for a couple of months with 1 or 2 hearings and no result. People are inside for minor cases, check cases and not having paid their invoices. The conditions inside are worst than in a labor camp.

The rooms are small with 7 beds inside. Its dirty and unhygienic. I mean if it’s a 3rd world country I do understand but not for Dubai. I will never forget those ladies and I want to help. Everybody have the right to get a follow up on his case right. No matter what. I don’t believe in the uae system any longer.

Regards

Sonne

Autopsy shows body of Briton was badly bruised, court hears

2011-04-18T13:03:00.000-07:00

The autopsy showed bruises on different parts of the deceased’s body: the left side of the forehead, the nose, upper right arm, foot, palm, right eyebrow and lower jaw, a court has heard

Image Credit: Gulf News archive
The Public Prosecution has listened to the testimony of a hotel housekeeper, who was allegedly assaulted by British citizen Lee Bradley Brown who died in Dubai in police custody.

Dubai: Investigations continue into the death of British citizen Lee Bradley Brown who died in Dubai in police custody last week, Dubai’s Attorney General Essam Al Humaidan said on Monday.

He said the Public Prosecution has listened to the testimony of the Burj Al Arab hotel’s female housekeeper, who was allegedly assaulted by Brown before his arrest by Dubai Police.

According to a statement from the Dubai Government’s Media Office, the woman said in her testimony that she went to a suite on the upper floors of the hotel to clean it and saw the British man who shouted at her, insulted her, grabbed her by the neck and pushed and dragged her through the corridor before trying to throw her out of a window.

Screamed

She said she held on tightly to a pillar and screamed, and her colleagues rushed to her rescue, managing to free her from Brown’s hands. She said she sustained bruises on her back, arms and chin.

The Public Prosecution also listened to a waiter’s testimony who said he heard a scream when he was clearing a room in the hotel. He came out of the room to see Brown bent over and grabbing the hair of the woman, who was on the floor and crying bitterly, he added.

Violent mood

The waiter also said Brown was in a violent mood and was physically resisting some of the hotel staff who had intervened to calm down his “abnormally hysterical behaviour”.

The waiter said they asked Brown to calm down but he tried to jump off a window before they grabbed and controlled him. They later handed him over to a police patrol but he was still acting outrageously and violently.

The Public Prosecution also listened to testimonies from police personnel who said Brown was using abusive language and acting violently.

He also damaged public property when they were taking him to the Public Prosecution building for investigation, they said.

Hit his head against a wall

According to police, Brown hit his head against a wall and injured his nose. He also injured his forehead while police were trying to control him and later fell down while resisting arrest.

Al Humaidan said the autopsy showed bruises on different parts of the deceased’s body: the left side of the forehead, the nose, upper right arm, foot, palm, right eyebrow and lower jaw.

The forensic report concluded the injuries on the deceased’s body resulted from collisions with solid objects, including falls on a hard floor. The report says Brown sustained these injuries four or five days prior to his death.

Choked on his own vomit

The report also attributed Brown’s death to asphyxia, saying the deceased choked on his own vomit.

Al Humaidan said the Public Prosecution would take seriously any allegations of abuse of authority or torture because no one was above the law.

The Public Prosecution also met with Brown’s family and permitted them to see the body and receive his personal belongings.

EXCLUSIVE!! 'THE DAILY LIFE OF A PRISONER IN A DUBAI JAIL'

2011-04-18T08:55:00.000-07:00

-A GREAT THANKS TO SIMON FOR TALKING TO US ABOUT HIS PRISON EXPERIENCE-

Centeral Prison - UAE

“Firstly let me tell you what to expect, in the police stations they are way overcrowded at the moment, you will not get a bed, you’ll be lucky to get a blanket, you’ll be sharing a bed space with others.

In Muraqqabat there are 2 huge square units each with 8 or 10 cells around 2 sides, the back wall and on the front wall there’s a tv and the shower/toilet block, there is no way you can go outside, you’re inside 24/7, very little natural sunlight, tensions run high in there and there are regular fights.

In, all the other police stations there are corridors with cells along both sides, the worst is Al Rafa, that is crazily overcrowded, there are 8-10 guys in each cell (2 bunk beds per cell) and everyone else sleeps in the corridor on the concrete floor, there is a small exercise yard with marble tables but that is also full of people sleeping, there is no TV but you do have telephone access 24/7.

In Al Rashidiya, you need to hope you get taken to the downstairs

cells straight ahead as you go in, not the ones upstairs or on the right, this is known as the drug abusers place, the drug abuse amongst locals especially is horrendous, I saw one guy murdered there in a fight over who ran the canteen (very profitable) and the sexual abuse of (especially the far eastern – Chinese/Filipino) prisoners is horrendous, the cries of one Chinese guy being raped again and again will stay with me for years.

There is however a plasma TV with 2 decoders and a PS3 in there too, donated by a British guy who was on Interpol’s wanted list. Because of the venue, then there are more Locals in Rashidiya than the others. Bur Dubai has just been reopened after a refurbishment, again, no TV, limited phone access (or it was pre refurb) and a large open courtyard.

As I stated before ALL the police stations are crazily over crowded, fights are a common occurrence, usually between Arabs, I, as a Brit, was never touched. The prisoners are responsible for the cleanliness of their own cell block, usually the foreman (himself a prisoner) orders the cleaning to be done on a daily basis. In some Police Stations there are washing machines and tumble driers for your clothes, in most there is a trough for you to wash by hand.

In most police stations you can order outside deliveries usually once or twice a week, be prepared to pay double, there’s a few bribes need to be paid. There is also a canteen shop that sells toiletries etc. again, be prepared to be ripped off.

Red Striped Inmates

In Central jail – this is just in the “out” jail i.e. sentences for 6 months or less, true Central for 6 months + is different. You arrive handcuffed in a bus with steel for windows and no emergency exits, you get taken in to a holding cell where you’re split the ones who are in for more than 6 months are given their uniforms, all white with a stripe that indicates the time of the sentence, green or blue is less than a year, yellow 1-5 years and red 5 years +. After the Central guys have been taken then you get back on the bus and are taken to the out jail, which is on the other side of the complex, you go past the juveniles and the women’s jails, you’re taken out, names checked, cuffs removed and then you get your uniform and bedding, at the moment they give out 2 blankets, 1 to sleep on and 1 as a cover, you might get lucky and get a pillow too. These have been washed but are not new, you cannot wear anything that isn’t white, your wallet etc and all monies over AED300 is put into a safe – you can request more cash from your stash on a weekly basis (300 max). You then get strip searched by the guards – some seem to enjoy their job – and taken to another holding area or “amber” – dorm as they’re known. There are 8 ambers, each is a large common area with 2 dorms off to the side, each dorm has 96 bunks in sleeping 192 people so there are just under 400 beds. Problem is there are currently around 800 guys in each amber, so you’re on the floor in the common area. If your hair can be pinched you get it shaved, either by the prison barber or on of the inmates (for a fee) – clippers and shavers are both on sale. Don’t expect a Vidal Sassoon special, it’s over and done with in under a minute. Once you have a bed space in your allotted amber then you’re ready for a day in the life of a prisoner.

5am Breakfast, usually bread with either a boiled egg or yoghurt or cheese, then at 6.30 if you’re going to court you need to be up and on your way, if not then nothing much happens until 8am, you have the chance to see the officers if you have a good reason, for example you need to get your passport from a Police Station so you get put on the list. There is a travel agents in their too, no browsing allowed, one way tickets only, the phones in the ambers are open for 3 hours on a morning and 4 or 5 on an afternoon, the morning is the only time you will get anything “official” done. You also get the chance (twice a week) to go to the shop in the outside area, the prices there are reasonable, but there’s a limit on how much you can buy, 3 packs of cigarettes for example. If you’re a non smoker buy your share and sell them later on in the week to the desperate smokers – I was getting 30-50Dirhams per pack they also sell headphone radios and batteries. Lunch is at 11am and consists of rice and veg/meat/chicken with a piece of lettuce and some fruit or fruit drink. Bear in mind with 800 mouths to feed this will take a long time, especially as the canteen area only sits 90. Food is given on a metal tray and there is no cutlery, so it’s hands only.

Most people sleep in the afternoons – if they have a space, there is nothing much else to do. Then supper arrives at 5pm, this is macaroni and soup (OK if mixed together) maybe sausages or veg curry and rice, everything is spicy here. After supper there’s nothing to do again, just sit around, talk, there may be some books or a chess board there, but both are heavily prized, you can also occasionally get cards in and rummy is the usual game – obviously gambling is not officially allowed. If you get caught smoking in the toilet area (only place with no cameras, then you get privileges withdrawn for a month (telephone etc.) the only time you can officially smoke is after the meal brakes when you can go outside.

There are 3 counts a day to check everyone is there, you all sit on the floor outside in rows of 10 to be counted, this can often take forever cos half the staff can’t count. There are also search/raids every month where all the amber gets turned upside down, they’re looking for drugs, phones and weapons, and they usually find them too.

Lights out is around 11 or 12, but that doesn’t mean anything, you sleep when you can and when you’re tired. Then it’s back to the beginning.

On Fridays it’s visiting morning, I had one visitor in 13 months, you shout at each other through glass, as does everyone else, personally I didn’t think it was worth it.

Once you get used to the regime, the out jail is not that bad, it can be very frustrating but it’s clean – and cold and very, very boring. The police stations are different, you always need to be on your toes, they’re a very violent and filthy place to be.

SHOCKING NEWS: Sheikh Nahyan (Brother of Crown Prince of Dubai) caught red-handed in a shocking Torture Video!

2011-04-17T09:38:00.000-07:00

A 45-minute videotape featured in a news segment on ABC News on April 22, 2009, suggests a man that the Government of Abu Dhabi has acknowledged is Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan ghastly torturing Mohammed Shah Poor, an Afghan grain dealer, with the assistance of UAE police and others, as punishment as Shaikh al Nahyan believed that Mr. Poor had short changed him in a sale of grain.

Highlights:

The Sheikh begins by stuffing sand down the man's mouth, as the police officers restrains Mr. Poor. The torture involved shooting an automatic rifle around the victim in very close proximity as the victim was screaming. At another point on the tape, the Sheikh can be seen telling the cameraman to come closer. "Get closer. Get closer. Let his suffering show," the Sheikh says. Over the course of the tape, Sheikh Issa acts in an increasingly sadistic manner.

The Sheikh then pulls down the pants of the victim and repeatedly strikes him with wooden planks and its protruding nail. At one point, he puts the nail next to the man's buttocks and bangs it through the flesh. "Where's the salt," asks the Sheikh as he pours a large container of salt on to the man's bleeding wounds. He uses an electric cattle prod, a relatively high-voltage electric shock device against the man's testicles and inserts it in his anus.

Then the tape shows, as the man wails in pain, the Sheikh pours lighter fluid on the man's testicles and sets them aflame. The final scene on the tape shows the Sheikh positioning his victim on the desert sand and then driving over him repeatedly. A sound of breaking bones can be heard on the tape.

Warning: Here is the videotape showing the torture of Afghan businessman. Probably the most disturbing video that has ever been shown to the public. [Graphic Content of the video. Viewer discretion is strongly advised] Please don't play it around children or people who are particularly sensitive to images of human suffering. View the shocking video footage
ABC News Exclusive: Torture Tape Implicates UAE Royal Sheikh

According to HRW’s April 29 statement: “The government’s failure to prosecute those involved in this undisputed incident of torture and abuse at the hands of a royal family member and the police is an appalling miscarriage of justice,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive director of the Middle East. “What’s even more shocking is the government’s insistence that it investigated and found no violation of UAE laws.”

“If this is their complete reply, then sadly it’s a scam and it’s a sham.” said Whitson. One of the most alarming aspects of the tape was the involvement of the police, she added. “It is the state that is torturing them if the government does not investigate and prosecute these officers.”

HRW’s statement goes on to say: “Law enforcement officials become criminals when they inflict or tolerate torture,” “The UAE government needs to act now if it is to restore public confidence in the country’s criminal justice system and to show that the rule of law, and not impunity for its violators, is the policy of the country.” said Whitson.

Human Rights Watch: Prosecute Torture by Royal Family Member
[HRW]: Letter to the UAE on the Torture of Mohammed Shah Poor

The tape, broadcast last week by the American television channel, ABC, has already led to calls for the United States to reconsider its commercial ties with the UAE, the tiny but wealthy state that includes Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

James McGovern, a US congressman, has called for a freeze on government aid to the Emirates. In a letter to Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State, Mr McGovern said: "I cannot describe the horror and revulsion I felt when witnessing what is on this video ... I could not watch it without constantly flinching."

The tape was smuggled out of the UAE by US citizen and Houston businessman Bassam Nabulsi, a former business partner of Issa. Nabulsi claims Issa ordered Nabulsi's brother to record the torture scene in order to watch it later at his own leisure. Nabulsi is now suing in America for the alleged mistreatment he received.

Nabulsi says officials at the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi were aware of the torture tapes but took no action to protest the Sheikh's action.

Nabulsi says he even showed portions of the tape to a Department of Homeland Security official stationed in Abu Dhabi to train UAE police, Bill Wallrap. After the U.S. official watched the tapes, he advised Nabulsi to "gather your family and get out of the country as soon as possible for your own safety."

A spokesman for DHS said neither Wallrap nor the DHS would have any comment on the torture tapes.

Nabulsi says 'Anyone in the United Arab Emirates is subject to the whims of the royal family who rule these areas with an iron fist. The point is, torture is practiced, human rights are ignored, and the court systems are subject to influence by the royal family and corruption in general. Do not travel to the U.A.E. Do not do business ...

BRITISH PRISONER’S TERRIBLE PREMONITION BEFORE HE WAS DRAGGED AWAY BY GUARDS

2011-04-17T02:01:00.000-07:00

A BRITISH holidaymaker in a Dubai jail told fellow prisoners: “I’m going to die in here.” Seconds later Lee Brown was dragged out of his cell and beaten to death by guards.

The 39-year-old tourist was battered for two days by men who ignored his pleas for mercy, prison sources have revealed.

Yesterday more horrifying details began to emerge of Lee’s treatment at the notorious Bur Dubai detention centre. The jail, cynically dubbed the Dubai Hilton by inmates, is a warren of filthy, cockroach-infested corridors filled with hundreds of prisoners who have no proper toilets or showers.

Prisoners can be held for months without being charged with a crime and guards are said to torture confessions out of them.

Witnesses say slightly built Lee was hurled on to a dirty concrete floor by a burly policeman. They claim the officer then pressed his knee against Lee’s back to pin him to the ground before raining punches down on him.

The brutal attack was said to have been captured on a security camera in the corner of the cell but the footage may have been erased.

Lee, from Ilford, Essex, died on Tuesday after being arrested following a row with a hotel chambermaid.

Dubai officials insist he choked on his vomit and had no marks on his body. His family and fellow inmates believe the police are trying to cover up his death.

A relative of another prisoner at Bur Dubai told the Sunday Express: “The place is an absolute hell-hole where the inmates are treated like rats. Lee was beaten terribly, he was handcuffed far too tightly around the wrists and was flung on to the concrete floor.

“One of his guards then knelt down and lodged his kneecap against Lee’s back to keep on the ground. He then just started punching him in the face repeatedly leaving him dripping with blood. Lee just kept crying out ‘Help me, help me’ but there was nothing anybody could do because there were too many guards.

“I think he resigned himself to his fate because apparently he fell to his knees after being beaten and said, ‘I’m going to die in here’.

“Soon afterwards four inmates were made to drag him away to solitary confinement .

“I did hear Lee was also strapped to the wall by his wrists and ankles and just left to hang for hours. ”

Lee, a self-employed maintenance worker, went to Dubai for a last-minute holiday. He was arrested on April 6 after police were called to his suite at the exclusive Burj al Arab hotel.

According to a jail source, Lee was initially warned not to be so “jolly” around the guards because it would antagonise them. Other westerners, including four Britons still being held, told him to stay quiet and keep his head down.

On Friday the British Government ruled out an independent investigation into Lee’s death. His family, including his mother Doris Shafi, 69, are consulting lawyers. Sister-in-law Susanne Gibbons, 40, said: “We are determined to get answers and justice for Lee.”

Last night a London businessman imprisoned at Bur Dubai described how torture there is rife.

The man, who does not want to be identified, said: “An Indian guy was taken into a cell and Tasered for three hours.

“When he came out he lifted up his shirt and he had puncture marks from the Taser all over his chest and back. A Nigerian was hauled out of his cell and battered for hours on end. You could hear his screams echoing round the prison.”

SOURCE: http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/241196/241196British-prisoner-s-terrible-premonition-before-he-was-dragged-away-by-guards#ixzz1JlzR7Aj8

Safi Qurashi's open letter from Dubai jail cell

2011-04-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

Two years ago I shot to fame as the man who bought "Little Britain" in UAE. This is my story of how my Dubai dream became a nightmare.

Safi, right, receiving an award for 'Trusted Real Estate Partner' from Sheikh Manea Bin Hasher Al Maktoum

8:00AM GMT 21 Nov 2010

Dubai's property boom had just begun, when I set up a property business, Premier Real Estate Bureau LLC.

We employed five staff and business went so well that within two years we were employing 100. Our name was trusted and our reputation was excellent. We won a business award from Sheikh Manea Al Maktoum - the first in Dubai. All the hard work paid off. We sent our kids to the best school in Dubai and had amazing holidays with our families.

We specialised in beach front properties so when the island of Great Britain became available we snapped it up. We knew that the market was overheated and that a crash was inevitable, so we planned for that. When the Dubai markets did crash in 2009 we were still in a strong position and our business turnover was $1billion.

My life took a dramatic turn on Friday 15th January 2010, when two plain clothed officers arrested me for bouncing a cheque and took me to CID headquarters. I was held for eight hours in a cell, handcuffed like a criminal. No phone calls. No lawyer. Then I was transferred to Jebel Ali police station.

There I was kept handcuffed to a chair for another 8 hours. No-one spoke English. I was asked two questions: my name and whether I signed two cheques. When I answered yes, I was sent to Port Rashid jail at 4am. The prison was built to house 80 prisoners; there were over 200 people inside. There were only four showers and three toilets. People were sleeping on the floor and in the kitchen. At night it resembled a refugee camp. For the first few days I slept on a concrete floor. I had no access to lawyer or phones. When I saw the prosecutor he asked about a cheque to a Russian investor. I told him everything and asked about bail. He said no bail was allowed and he would see me two weeks after he spoke to the Russian.

Just like that, two weeks in jail. Finally, on the fifth day, I was allowed to make a five minute call to my wife. She arrived next day with a solicitor who said don't worry, you will get bail in two or three days. These days were the most difficult. I was in the same clothes for a week, with no place to wash, no soap or shampoo. For a month I slept on the bare floor.

Then the second shock. My solicitor turned out to be the defence lawyer in a (civil) case I had filed earlier against a friend of his. His offer to me was simple: drop all charges against my friend and I will help you. My lawyer and the prosecutor were college buddies and good friends. Suddenly the Dubai I knew - trustworthy, clean, crime free, non-corrupt - vanished.

Then my wife suffered a miscarriage. That was a particularly difficult thing. Nights were lonely. Trying to suppress the anger and frustration was difficult. However, human nature and the sheer will to deal with problems makes you discover qualities you sometimes think you never had. I got a new lawyer who spent five minutes with me. When I said surely he needed input from me, he responded "this is not England, we do things our way". I didn't understand then, what he meant, but now I do. There were two hearings – each one a minute long. Two questions were asked and I was sentenced: a seven year jail term. I realized that the judge had neither read nor reviewed any of the evidence. He did not establish whether I actually broke the law. A cheque bounced. Nothing else was considered. I kept on thinking this is a modern country, it has laws, it depends on foreign citizens and investment, surely its legal system cannot be so backward? Surely they are not this unjust?

I was three months in Port Rashid jail. By the time I left, more than 300 prisoners were being held in that tiny place. I was allowed three phone calls a week each lasting only three minutes. I had to, in these nine minutes, manage my business and my legal affairs, speak to my wife and worry about the wellbeing of her and my children. I had not spoken to my children for three months. The hardest thing was telling my mum, my brothers and my sister where I was.

My wife visited every week but I couldn't bear my mum and children seeing me there. Sometimes you have to put the biggest stone on your heart and carry on with life. This is what I did. I spent my 41st birthday, my wife's 40th, my son's fourth birthday and my 20th wedding anniversary in jail. My children cried for days. They wrote me great letters of encouragement, although some days it was very hard to read them through all the tears that would flow.

But my kids' faces remained strong in my eyes; what are they doing? How are they coping? How will they survive? On April 1 I was moved to the central prison - with murderers, rapists, armed robbers and drug dealers. These are not the people I belong with, I kept on thinking. But at least I had a place to sleep and it was clean. There were only six to a room and we had to share a bathroom. But it was better than sharing with 350.

I hated the indignity of court: being handcuffed and strip-searched. All of your respect and dignity trodden over. Seeing your family in the court room, paraded in front of a full court room in prison uniform. The court of appeal was no better. Dubai boasts that it has a very fast judicial process. That's right. In a one hour court session a judge hears 30-40 cases. The same judge will hear a murder case, drug case, fraud, theft, drink and cheque case all in one hour and decide the outcome of each in only 90 seconds.

There are lots of British and foreign nationals whose businesses and families are struggling. People should see it's dark side beneath the glitz and glamour. I was surrounded by businessmen whose dreams of Dubai were turned into a nightmare as they had been labeled criminals.

My mum is my biggest worry. She is an old lady and suffered a heart attack in the Summer. I had to close my company and people lost their jobs. What took 6 years to build was destroyed in less than 6 months. You feel like screaming, shouting, crying – why will no one listen to me? Where is the British Government? There are over two hundred Brits in jail, most in the same situation. They all came to Dubai to start a new life, 99 percent never had any criminal record. Dubai has branded them criminals. Why is our government allowing this farce to happen?

I hope and pray that someone out there hears our pleas. We are not criminals. All we want is justice.

Source:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/dubai/8149093/Safi-Qurashis-open-letter-from-Dubai-jail-cell.html

End this cover-up, say family of Briton 'beaten to death' in a Dubai police cell after swearing arrest

2011-04-16T09:44:00.000-07:00

End this cover-up, say family of Briton 'beaten to death' in a Dubai police cell after swearing arrest

Dead: The family of Lee Brown, 39, are appealing to the government to unmask a 'cover up' in Dubai where he died in custody

The family of a man allegedly beaten to death in a Dubai cell demanded government help last night after claiming his 'murder' was being covered up.

Authorities said Lee Bradley Brown had died of natural causes despite witnesses seeing him being 'beaten to a pulp' by prison guards.

To the fury of Mr Brown's family, Dubai's most senior legal authority announced that his death was caused by him 'choking on his own vomit'.

Maintenance worker Mr Brown, 39, of Dagenham, Essex, was on holiday at a £1,000-a-night hotel in the Muslim state when he was thrown into a filthy and overcrowded cell after being arrested for swearing and assault.

Inmates say they watched in horror as he was 'badly beaten' by a group of up to six police officers.

They say he was stripped and handcuffed to a chair, where he was beaten with fists, feet and batons.

He was dragged to a solitary confinement cell where he died three days later – before guards bundled him into a body-bag and dragged him out of the building.

During Mr Brown's six days in Bur Dubai police station, guards refused to give him enough food and water and did not let him see a lawyer, it is alleged.

His distraught mother Doris Shafi, 67, told the Mail: 'I'm dead inside. I may be breathing and walking, but I'm dead inside. This has been a terrible blow for me and my family.'

His sister-in-law Susanne Gibbons, 40, added: 'How can this happen in this day and age?

'We told the British Embassy what was going on and they did nothing.

'Please don't let the Dubai government cover this up. We need justice for Lee – we need to know what happened.'

Amid what was last night turning into a major diplomatic row, Dubai's attorney general Eisam Al Humaidan said the preliminary forensic report had ruled out any torture and that there were traces of cannabis in Mr Brown's system, with the formal autopsy report due to be issued next week.

Notorious: Bur Dubai police station where witnesses say they watched Mr Brown being beaten to death by police while he was in custody

He said: 'The forensic report attributed Brown's death to asphyxia. The deceased choked on his own vomit.

'The report also pointed to traces of hashish in his blood and urine samples.'

But Radha Stirling, founder of UK-based charity Detained in Dubai, said the move appeared to be a 'cover-up'.

She said: 'Were all of the witnesses who saw what happened to Mr Brown lying? I think not.

Seven star: The Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai where Lee Brown was staying, and was accused of attacking a maid

'I do not believe that he died of natural causes and think this is a major cover-up.

'Police stations in Dubai are notoriously brutal and the one that this poor man was in is by far the worst.

'Cells are usually covered in human faeces and can contain up to 20 prisoners in each one. Most will be forced to sleep on the floor. They are often denied the basic rights you would expect in a police station.

'You have to remember that these people have not even been found guilty in a court of law.'

Police sources said Mr Brown, a guest at the seven-star Burj Al Arab, was arrested on Saturday following a complaint by the management that he had attacked a Nepalese housekeeper and tried to throw her from a sixth-floor balcony.

A hotel spokesman said: 'She suffered injuries and bruises on her body for which she had to seek treatment.'

A hotel worker, who did not want to be named, said: 'He was acting very strange.

'He wasn't drunk but appeared to be quite disturbed mentally.

'A chambermaid went into his room unannounced and he went mad. He then tried to push the maid off an internal mezzanine balcony.'

Last night, the British Embassy said they were putting pressure on the Dubai authorities at 'the highest level' to find out what had happened, but it was too early to say whether Britain would send a pathologist to ascertain Mr Brown's cause of death.

A spokesman said: 'What we are doing is working closely with Dubai police to pressure them to investigate the circumstances.

'We spoke to them at the highest level and highlighted the seriousness of it.'

It emerged yesterday that consular staff from the British, Canadian and Australian embassies visited the police station to check on the welfare of their citizens and to obtain statements regarding Mr Brown's death.

SOURCE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1377097/Briton-beaten-death-Dubai-police-cell-Lee-Browns-family-say-end-cover-up.html?ITO=1490

Briton 'beaten to death' in a Dubai police cell after being arrested for swearing

2011-04-14T07:04:00.000-07:00

'The guards tried to hush it up and pretend nothing had happened’

Tragedy: British tourist Lee Bradley Brown, who was thought to have been staying at the Burj Al Arab hotel, was allegedly beaten to death in a Dubai police station after being arrested for swearing

A British tourist was beaten to death by officers in a Dubai police station after being arrested for swearing, it was claimed yesterday.

Lee Bradley Brown, 39, was on holiday at a £1,000-a-night hotel in the Arab state when he was thrown into a filthy cell.

Police sources say he was ‘badly beaten up’ by a group of police officers, leaving him unconscious on the floor.

Inmates told how they watched officers bundle him into a body-bag and drag him out of the building.

During Mr Brown’s six days in Bur Dubai police station, guards refused to give him enough food and water and did not let him see a lawyer, it is alleged.

His sister learned about the attack when she received a phone call from an inmate on Sunday, claiming her brother had been beaten.

The prisoner found her phone number on a photocopy of her brother’s passport which had been left behind in the cell.

She contacted the British Embassy in Dubai, and on Monday an official was sent to visit Mr Brown at the police station.

But the official was turned away by an officer who claimed Mr Brown did not want to see him and had ‘declined consular assistance’.

His sister, who did not want to be named, received another phone call from the inmate saying he had seen her brother’s body being taken out in a body-bag.

A source told the Daily Mail last night: ‘He suffered a really bad beating which must have caused some terrible internal injuries.

‘The poor bloke stood no chance at all. At one stage he was thrown against the concrete wall of a cell and landed badly.

‘Then the guards tried to hush it up and pretend nothing had happened.’

'The poor bloke stood no chance at all': Lee Bradley Brown was on holiday in the Arab state when he was arrested

The British Embassy officially told his family about his death yesterday.

Bur Dubai police station is a notoriously violent place where beatings, starvation, rape and the force-feeding of drugs is common-place.

Foreign prisoners are often kept in cramped cells with up to 20 inmates for weeks for trivial offences.

Human rights charities say police officers regularly refuse to allow inmates to make a phone call or access to a lawyer.

They say prisoners are sometimes beaten and coerced into signing confessions written in Arabic.

Brutal: Mr Brown was held for six days in the notoriously violent Bur Dubai police station

Yesterday Mr Brown’s sister described her anger and heartache at her loss. Speaking outside his home in Dagenham, East London, she said: ‘It is very difficult at the moment as you would expect, and his mum is extremely upset.

‘We were the ones that first contacted the British Embassy in Dubai with concerns after an inmate out there got in touch with us.

‘We were told unofficially on Tuesday it was true, and the worst was confirmed today. We are unable to be out there. All we have had is one call from officials telling us that he’s dead.

‘The inmates we spoke to at the jail are currently waiting to give statements to the police.

‘But they’re now in fear for their own lives.’

Mr Brown, who ran a maintenance business, flew to Dubai on his own for a last-minute holiday and was thought to have been staying in the Burj Al Arab, a seven-star hotel where rooms cost at least £1,000 a night.

A source at Dubai Public Prosecution said he was arrested on April 6 over allegations of assault, intimidating behaviour and using abusive language.

Paradise? Human rights officials say Dubai prisons are among the worst in the world

A British Embassy spokesman said: ‘I can confirm the man died in custody and that the embassy is taking the allegations very seriously. We are launching an investigation and working with Dubai police.’

Radha Stirling, founder of UK-based charity Detained in Dubai, said she hoped a full inquiry will be carried out.

‘Police stations in Dubai are notoriously brutal and the one that this poor man was in is by far the worst,’ she said.

‘I have never come across any allegations as serious as this.

‘Cells are usually covered in human faeces and can contain up to 20 prisoners in each one. Most will be forced to sleep on the floor.

‘They are often denied the basic rights you would expect in a police station.

‘You have to remember that these people have not even been found guilty in a court of law.’

A Dubai police spokesman said they would carry out their own investigation once the results of a post-mortem examination, which may take three days, are known.

Enlarge

SOURCE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1376649/Briton-arrested-swearing-beaten-death-Dubai-police-cell.html#ixzz1JVgxR2tF