A British TikTok influencer is being held in a Dubai police station after stabbing her boyfriend, with her family saying her mental health is deteriorating.
Brooke George, 23, from Kent, has more than 100,000 followers on TikTok and is charged with the murder of fellow Brit William 'Bill' Treeby, 26. She does not deny the stabbing, but her legal team says she acted in self-defence. George is awaiting trial at Bur Dubai police station in the UAE after her death penalty trial was delayed.
Family reports worsening conditions
According to her family, her detention is taking a heavy toll. Her mother, Tess, says bright lights remain on in every room, cries and screams from babies echo around the centre, and calls home are routinely interrupted. Medication to help her sleep in the stressful location has reportedly not been provided.
On October 7, George attended a court hearing in Arabic via video link, where prosecution witnesses had been summoned but failed to appear. The trial was adjourned until October 28, and the court ordered her to remain in detention while evidence is gathered from remaining witnesses.
Arrest and legal support
George was arrested at Dubai International Airport the day after the fatal stabbing on June 21, but claims Mr Treeby assaulted her in his apartment. Radha Stirling, founder of Detained in Dubai, is assisting the family and pleading for urgent medical care.
Stirling said: "Brooke is suffering terribly. Her family describes a young woman who is increasingly upset, unable to sleep and struggling to maintain even the briefest contact with home."
She added: "Her mother is left wondering how much worse things will become before she hears her daughter's voice again. Two minutes on the telephone, followed by an abrupt disconnection, is distressing for everyone involved."
Concerns over detention conditions
Stirling noted that Brooke remains in temporary police detention, with constant bright lights, broken sleep and increasing distress. She said these facilities were never designed for long-term habitation.
"British citizens who were locked up there for only hours during the Iran strikes were terrified at the thought of spending days there, let alone months. She has been told she could receive medication to help her sleep, yet her mother says nothing has happened," Stirling said.
"These concerns need to be addressed now. Her health cannot be put on hold until the next court hearing. We will do everything we can to help. Brooke needs to know she has not been forgotten."
She concluded: "Her family needs to be able to speak to her, and her worsening distress needs proper medical attention. Whatever the allegations, she is entitled to humane treatment while her case is heard."
Previous death at the centre
In 2011, British tourist Lee Bradley Brown died at the detention centre while in police custody, after being arrested for a verbal altercation with a housekeeper at the Burj Al Arab hotel. It was initially claimed he choked on his own vomit, but a 2022 jury inquest revealed neglect and severe beatings from guards and inmates caused his death.
