British Woman Charged With Murder of British Man in Dubai

A 23-year-old British woman has been charged with the premeditated murder of a 26-year-old British man in Dubai. Brooke George was arrested at Dubai airport in the early hours of Monday morning and remains held at Bur Dubai Police Station. George met the man on Facebook and traveled to Dubai to meet him in person.

Her first visit lasted about one week. On her second visit she alleges the man became controlling and abusive after booking her only a one-way ticket. George alleges the man assaulted her in a car after they left a bar while intoxicated and that further attacks occurred at his flat.

She contacted her family in a panic and tried to arrange a flight home. When she returned to the flat to retrieve her passport she found her belongings strewn across the room and alleges she was punched in the face. George claims she reached for a kitchen knife and acted in self-defense fearing for her life.

If convicted of premeditated murder she faces the death penalty by firing squad. Her mother, Thereza George, said: “As Brooke's mother, I am deeply concerned for her welfare. ” She added that she could see one of Brooke’s eyes was badly swollen and beginning to close.

George has been forced to strip naked in front of male officers without female officers present, deprived of access to her embassy and required to make statements without a lawyer present, according to Detained in Dubai. A British Foreign Office spokesperson said the government is in touch with the detained woman, supporting her family and in contact with local authorities.