A 23-year-old British student who has been jailed for life in Dubai after a ‘stupid mistake’ has been given a major update in her case.
Mia O’Brien was a student of law at the University of Liverpool when she went on holiday to the Middle East last year.
While attending a flat party, police stormed the residence and found around 50g of cocaine.
O’Brien was convicted of drug supply and possession charged on July 25.
Despite pleading not guilty, her trial was held entirely in Arabic and she was sentenced to 25 years in Al-Awir Central Prison, which has been described as a ‘hell-hole’ and hit with a hefty £100k fine.
O'Brien's mother Danielle has given a critical update on her case (Pic: Facebook)
The shocking update in Mia O’Brien’s case
While detained in Al-Awir, O’Brien was sleeping on a mattress on the floor of a cell with six other women, but now her ordeal appears to be over.
O’Brien’s mother, Danielle, has kept watchers of the case updated - and recently announced that her daughter will be home in time for Christmas.
In a statement shared via Facebook, she said: “She’s coming home, my baby is coming home.
“Thank you so much everyone, [I] am still in shock [...] can’t wait to give her the tightest cuddle ever.”
The exact circumstances of O’Brien’s release have not been made public, but she was working closely with the campaign group Detained in Dubai to overturn her convictions.
Radha Sterling, the founder of Detained in Dubai, said in September of this year that they were planning on appealing the sentence, given after a one-day trial.
“Dubai police have a history of rushing to secure convictions without the rigorous evidentiary standards we expect in the UK,” Sterling explained.
“We’ve seen fabricated confessions, reliance on circumstantial evidence, and a disregard for due process.”
So, it appears that after a year from hell, the British student could well be coming home just in time for Christmas, and getting her life back on track.