A 31-year-old British mother has spoken out about the horrific conditions she is facing inside a Cambodian prison after being detained for allegedly trying to smuggle drugs out of the country.

London-born Tamara Martins has claimed to authorities that she was asked to transport a suitcase full of electronics back to the UK for cash by a man who approached her in a bar.

Tamara has a 10-year-old daughter at home. Credit: Facebook / Tamara Martins

Tamara claims she was set up

The young mom has remained adamant that she only found out about the 34kg of marijuana in her bag at Techo Airport, where cops searched her bags before arresting her.

The Law on the Control of Drugs enforces incredibly strict drug laws in Cambodia, with heavy fines, long prison sentences, or forced rehabilitation for possession, use, and trafficking.

Tamara’s family are desperately trying to get her home by fundraising for legal aid, as she is stuck “thousands of miles away” from her 10-year-old daughter.

Her brother Trey, 29, who is now caring for Tamara's daughter, told the Daily Mail: "I didn't even know she was in Cambodia until she called me. All I heard was her crying.

"She said, ‘I've been arrested. I've been arrested.'

"She's never been arrested for anything to do with drugs and she's never been involved in that sort of stuff."

According to a letter Trey received from his sister, Tamara has been transferred to a women's prison where her phone was confiscated, and the petrifying conditions have severely impacted her mental health.

The now-incarcerated tourist wrote: "It's hell in here. I haven't been able to sleep, eat, or anything.

"I have to try and not think so much about life at home otherwise I'll die from a broken heart... It's really difficult and hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel."

Tamara is facing years in a squalid prison. Credit: Tamara Martins

Tamara's family are seeking donations from the public

On the GoFundMe page set up to help her family with the eye-watering legal fees required to get a foreign national out of prison in Southeast Asia, her family penned: "While Tamara is detained, her daughter is being cared for by family here in the UK.

"She is safe, loved and being looked after, but she is still a child whose mum is suddenly thousands of miles away from her.

"We are trying to give her as much stability and normality as possible while, behind the scenes, we fight to help her mum.

It continued: "Tamara is not just somebody whose name is attached to a legal case. She is my sister. She is a daughter. And she is a mum with a little girl waiting for her.

"Every donation will go towards helping us obtain legal representation for Tamara and meeting the necessary costs involved in supporting her through this situation.

"Our hope is simply to make sure she has proper help, that she is treated fairly, and ultimately that we can get her back home to her family."

A UK Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We are supporting a British National detained in Cambodia and are in contact with the local authorities."

Featured image credit: Facebook / Tamara Martins

A British woman from Liverpool could face the possibility of life in prison after being arrested in Dubai on suspicion of drug-related offences.

According to the Liverpool Echo, 25-year-old Antonia Bettridge relocated to Dubai in November 2023, where she had been working as a sports coach and personal trainer.

Her arrest has raised concern among family members and legal advocates, particularly as strict drug laws in the United Arab Emirates can carry severe penalties.

Legal representatives from the organisation Detained In Dubai, which supports individuals facing legal issues in the country, say Bettridge has been arrested on suspicion of “possession of narcotics with intent to promote.” Under Dubai law, the charge can lead to heavy financial penalties and potentially a life sentence.

Family says they are ‘worried sick’ as woman remains detained

Bettridge’s mother has spoken publicly about the situation, describing the emotional strain the family is facing as they wait for updates about their daughter, per The Mirror.

"Antonia’s whole life revolves around fitness and healthy living," her mum said.

"She doesn’t live a party lifestyle. She moved to Dubai to build something positive for herself. We are devastated and just want clarity about what has happened."

The family says the situation has become even more distressing due to ongoing tensions in the region, which have made communication more difficult.

"With everything happening in the region at the moment, it is incredibly frightening knowing our daughter is in detention and we cannot reach her.

"We are worried sick. We just want her to be safe and to have the opportunity to prepare her defence properly."

Detained In Dubai has also pointed out that authorities in the UAE do not necessarily require proof that someone intended to sell or distribute drugs in order to pursue charges related to promotion.

Antonia Bettridge could face life in prison. Credit: Facebook

Legal experts call for bail as regional tensions grow

Radha Stirling, head of Detained In Dubai, highlighted how current regional instability is increasing anxiety for families whose loved ones are already in detention.

Stirling said: "When there is regional instability or security incidents, families naturally become even more concerned about loved ones who are already in a vulnerable situation."

The concerns come at a time when tensions in the region have escalated. The Khaleej Times reports that Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on the UAE, resulting in three deaths and 94 injuries.

Airports including Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Airport and Dubai International Airport have been targeted during missile and drone strikes, which have disrupted flights.

In response, the UK Foreign Office has advised British nationals in the UAE to remain indoors and avoid standing near windows.

Stirling also called for authorities to consider allowing Bettridge to prepare her case while outside of detention.

Stirling said: "It reinforces why allowing defendants to prepare their cases from outside detention, where appropriate, is so important.

"We hope the FCDO supports her application for bail pending any trial at the very least."

A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office confirmed officials are aware of the situation.

"We are supporting a British woman detained in the UAE and are in contact with the local authorities."

Antonia Bettridge was arrested in Dubai. Credit: Dblight / Getty

Previous court case in the UK revealed by Liverpool Echo

The Liverpool Echo also reported that Bettridge had previously appeared before Liverpool Crown Court in September 2023.

During that case, she was convicted of possessing criminal property after police discovered £8,000 in the glove box of her vehicle.

Officers had originally pulled her over in 2021, during which she claimed she was not carrying any money. However, police later found £610 inside her handbag along with thousands of pounds stored in her car.

Investigators later discovered she had driven around 170 miles from her then home in Dentons Green to a service station near Bristol before beginning the return journey.

After admitting the offence of possessing criminal property, Bettridge was handed a 12-month community order. The sentence included 75 hours of unpaid work and a requirement to pay £1,200 in court costs.

Featured image credit: Facebook

There is a new update in the case of the 23‑year‑old British law student who was sentenced to life imprisonment in Dubai after being found with 50 grams of cocaine.

Mia O’Brien, from Huyton in Merseyside, was convicted on July 25, after a one‑day trial conducted in Arabic, according to her mother, Danielle McKenna. Her mother claims Mia pleaded not guilty but was sentenced to life behind bars and fined £100,000. 

She is now held in Dubai’s Central Prison, which is well known for extreme overcrowding and harsh conditions. 

Mia had been studying law at the University of Liverpool and hoped to qualify as a solicitor or lawyer before her arrest, her mother says. Danielle insists Mia never used drugs before and had no intent to traffic them. 

Prison conditions and life behind bars

According to Danielle, Mia is sharing a small cell with six others and has to sleep on a mattress on the floor. 

She says there is minimal supervision by staff, and Mia must bang on a large door if she needs assistance. 

Danielle also reports Mia has witnessed fights and is frightened. 

 She believes her daughter is trying to stay strong, but the strain is immense. 

Mia has said she is not seriously ill, though she has developed rashes, according to her mother. 

 The prison system in Dubai has faced accusations from human rights organisations regarding violence and poor treatment of inmates. 

An appeal is expected to be lodged in the coming weeks. 

Danielle is hoping that Mia might eventually be permitted to serve her sentence in the UK, possibly via transfer or clemency after Ramadan. 

The latest update

Danielle had previously set up a GoFundMe campaign to assist with legal fees and travel costs. The fundraiser was later removed for violating GoFundMe’s terms regarding legal defence campaigns. 

She publicly thanked those who tried to help and started exploring other routes to raise funds. 

In a new update, Danielle has since set up a new page on the Christian fundraising site GiveSendGo, which has raised £420 at the time of writing.

She wrote in the description of the fundraiser: "As everyone knows by now, Mia has been given a life sentence in Dubai, and is now in central prison.

"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."

For now, Mia remains in custody, holding on to hope that justice may yet prevail and that she might one day return home.

Featured image credit: Facebook

The case of British grandmother Lindsay Sandiford has drawn attention around the world. The 69-year-old was arrested in Indonesia in 2012 after police found around 11 pounds of cocaine, worth an estimated £1.6 million, hidden in the lining of her suitcase.

Sandiford, from Redcar, claimed she had been coerced into transporting the drugs after receiving threats from a local gang who said they would kill her son. Despite her explanation, she was sentenced to death in 2013 and spent more than a decade on death row inside Kerobokan Prison in Bali, living under constant threat of execution.

She speaks of a second chance

Following a new agreement between the UK and Indonesian governments, Sandiford will now be returned to Britain along with another British citizen, Shahab Shahabadi. Both are reportedly in poor health.

Speaking through Australian pastor Christie Buckingham, who has supported her throughout her imprisonment, Sandiford expressed gratitude for her release. Buckingham told Metro: "We are deeply grateful for the courageous compassion shown by President Prabowo Subianto and the Indonesian government in their commitment to repatriate Lindsay Sandiford on humanitarian grounds. After 13 years, she is keen to be back home with her family. She will forever be grateful for this second chance."

Kerobokan prison, where Lindsay Sandiford is being held. Credit: Dimas Ardian / Getty Images.

Past statements showed she had given up hope

Sandiford had previously come to terms with her situation and made several public comments about her fate. In 2015, she wrote: "My execution is imminent, and I know I might die at any time now. I could be taken tomorrow from my cell."

Heather Mack, a former inmate who knew Sandiford in prison, said she believed Sandiford was "ready to die" and had even expressed a preference for a firing squad over dying from illness.

Credit: Justice and Fairness for Lindsay Sandiford / Facebook.

A senior Indonesian official, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, said her age, poor health, and good behaviour in prison were key factors in the decision to allow her to return home. He said: "Lindsay is old and sick. In prison she had good behaviour so that was enough reason to satisfy the request from the United Kingdom government that she be returned home and complete her sentence there."

A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office confirmed: "We are supporting two British Nationals detained in Indonesia and are in close contact with the Indonesian authorities to discuss their return to the UK."

Featured image credit: Justice and Fairness for Lindsay Sandiford / Facebook.

Christa Gail Pike's challenges against the method used for her upcoming execution have largely been rejected by a special judge, acting as a clerk and master.

The only female death row inmate in Tennessee is still set to be put to death on September 30, having been in court in Knox County most of last week.

Pike was trying to challenge the US state's lethal injection method and protocol for the final moments of her life, as her legal team has argued that her blood condition, thrombocytosis, will cause unconstitutional suffering.

They claimed that her condition would worsen under the intravenous injection of a fatal dose of pentobarbital, while saying that she also has small and compromised veins that will add to the suffering of receiving the lethal injection.

But in a report released on Friday, Senior Judge Mark Ward said that her condition would not get in the way of starting an IV.

Experts also said she would lose consciousness within 20 to 30 seconds after receiving the lethal dose, before she could feel any pain.

Christa Pike, the only woman on Tennessee's death row, was convicted in the 1995 death of student Colleen Slemmer, 19. Credit: the Tennessee Department of Correction

Explanation behind the decision

In their explanation, the court said that Pike gave little proof that her veins are too small for an IV, as Ward highlighted that the inmate's medical records revealed that attempts to draw blood in the past worked out.

He added: "At most, Ms. Pike has shown that she could experience some unknown amount of pain from peripheral IV access, but no more than any other person would."

Despite this conclusion, Pike's legal team said that it would be more humane to execute their client with a deeper central line IV or by hanging.

Ward said that using a central line is a small change and not a different execution method, claiming that hanging is a more dangerous and painful method of death.

Furthermore, the court said that the prison system no longer has hanging equipment or anyone who is trained to perform that method.

Pike, a Buddhist, argued for having her religious advisor in the execution room, where Ward acknowledged that an arrangement had been agreed before the hearing.

Her Buddhist advisor will be present at the time of her death, after spending over 30 years on death row.

Pike's movement to Riverbend Maximum Security Prison (RMSI) in Nashville, 24 hours before her execution, will also be accommodated.

Her legal team argued that due to her history of sexual assault, Pike's movement to River Bend, a male facility, weeks ahead of time would have caused 'serious illness and needless suffering,' while triggering her post-traumatic stress disorder.

Ward stated: "The Court does find that Ms. Pike suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder.

"However, the Court also finds that the accommodations made by TDOC regarding Ms. Pike's scheduled execution have minimized the potential for Ms. Pike experiencing significant triggering and/or anxiety."

The special master also said that Pike failed to present evidence stating that her being transported to River Bend and strapped to a gurney will be 'highly triggering for her,' though he acknowledged that provisions were made so female corrections officers will watch over her.

Pike will be the only inmate in the Capital Punishment Unit during the time she is at River Bend.

Four guards will watch her at all times, rotating 12-hour shifts, with a privacy screen available so she can use the restroom and shower.

"When a prisoner asserts that the State's chosen method of execution cruelly superadds pain to the death sentence, a prisoner must show a feasible and readily implemented alternative method of execution that would significantly reduce a substantial risk of severe pain and that the State has refused to adopt without a legitimate penological reason," Ward stated.

Most of Pike's challenges have been rejected. Credit: Tennessee Department of Corrections

What did Pike do to land the death sentence?

The felon is the only woman on death row in Tennessee, after being convicted of a murder so gruesome that it still sends chills down the spines of those familiar with the case.

Pike was sentenced to death after she was found guilty of killing 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer on January 12, 1995, when she was just 18.

The horrific murder took place in a wooded area near the University of Tennessee’s agricultural campus, as the teenagers were part of the Knoxville Job Corps program.

Pike had become jealous of her boyfriend at the time, 17-year-old Tadaryl Shipp, as she thought Slemmer was interested in him.

As a result, she would murder her classmate with a box cutter, a cleaver, and a piece of asphalt in an extremely disturbing crime.

Featured image credit: The Tennessee Department of Correction