Lee Andrews has caused quite a stir since leaving Al-Awir prison, where he was initially accused of espionage but later admitted he was imprisoned over a civil case. At the start of the year, he was just a 'businessman' in Dubai that no one had ever heard of, but in just over 20 weeks, the whole of the UK and social media were fascinated by his apparent 'kidnapping'. Lee married Katie Price back in January and promised her the world and a perfect love story, but the truth was much darker. From claims about his businesses, more than one prison stint, and his recent new hair-do, we take a look at all the claims he's made and how things just don't seem to be adding up.
Location Mystery
Lee claimed in his first message back from social media that he was taken 'by men at gunpoint' close to the Hatta-Oman border. But something doesn't seem to add up, as the following day in another video, Lee mentioned an airport. 'I was taken close to the Hatta-Oman border [an entry and exit point to the UAE] by men at gunpoint and then I was captured by men with assault rifles,' he said in a video posted on Tuesday. However, in a video on Thursday, he mentioned about guards having guns at an airport. 'I'll say it one more time - the National Guard who took me in the beginning have guns and they don't register you as being arrested. They just take you and hold you and that is what happened. Anywhere in the world you go to an airport, they have guns, they're patrolling the border and they took me, not in the best way either.' There is no airport anywhere near the Hatta-Oman border crossing, with the nearest being Muscat Airport - 130km from the crossing.
Airport 'Lie'
Lee failed to show up to Good Morning Britain's live interview last month, and as an apology to hosts Ed Balls and Susanna Reid, he filmed a video where he promised he was at the airport and on his way. However, the story changed quite a few times, especially when Lee told his wife Katie that he wasn't able to fly over as he had some urgent business to attend to. Half an hour later, Lee was posting on Instagram to insist he hadn't been detained - as a Foreign Office spokesperson had said - and was actually at Muscat Airport. Ignoring the fact the airport suspiciously looked like Terminal 2 at Dubai airport, Lee told his followers: 'I didn't make Good Morning Britain. I am not detained. I am in the airport in Muscat, Oman. I was just on the phone to Kate just after her interview, showing that I don't have any travel bans because I've already left the UAE so wasn't me who was detained. I don't know who they called the Foreign Office or Home Office. Is there a Brit that's been detained? Definitely not me.' A flight between Dubai and Muscat takes an hour and 15 minutes, but Lee's initial claim he was in Muscat Airport makes no sense if he was later 'taken' by 'an extended arm of the National Guard' at the Hatta-Oman border.
Phone Mishap
Katie had been quite clear, when announcing Lee's 'kidnapping', that he had told her in a FaceTime call that he was in the back of a van. She told fans that her husband had been kidnapped in Dubai as he was preparing to fly to the United Kingdom to be reunited with her. In a chilling FaceTime call, Lee informed his wife that he was in the back of a van and his hands had been tied. He told Katie that people were 'coming' for him. Following his release, he continued to claim he was 'hand-tied, shackled and also with a hood over his head' and said he was 'taken to a black site and had no use of his phone'. Whilst Katie claimed she had heard from Lee and was very worried by his state, he claimed he had his 'hands tied', was 'shackled', and 'with a hood over his head' and had no access to his phone.
Espionage Claims
Lee continues to maintain that he was initially accused of espionage, before later admitting he did have a civil case in Dubai. Civil cases in the UAE can cover many things including disputes between landlords and tenants, failing to pay for goods and services, and lawsuits seeking damages for personal injury or property damage. In a video after his release, he claimed: 'Because of the tensions and things happening in the region and me being so close to the border, this is why I was suspected of espionage and held in a state security building without the use of a telephone and any rights such as a shower, contact or speak to anybody including the embassy or my wife. So thank you to Katie for making such a noise that the UAE actually listened and let me go. From there I did have a civil case in Dubai which led to me going into the mainstream prison during the Arabic holiday Eid and I was able to secure my release.' It was later claimed that Lee was jailed for thousands of pounds of unpaid debts, including to a legal firm. He now has just 14 days to repay the costs, including 266 Dirhams (£54,000) to a car rental company, Rotanna Star, dating back to 2022. The second case, which resulted in Lee's arrest, is for 74,817.50 Dirhams (£15,000), which he allegedly owes to a United Arab Emirates law firm, likely unpaid legal fees. Due to Lee's debts, he would have to inform the Dubai CID, but he is not an 'actively wanted' man. Now, he has two weeks to find the £69,000, or he could be rearrested and jailed again, it has been reported.
AI Claims
Whilst AI detection platform Cyberette says Lee's most recent Story posts are unlikely to be edited, he has openly used AI in the past including to share an AI-generated video of him 'shopping' in Marks & Spencer or a video of him throwing money on a yacht. In the clip, Lee larks around onboard a yacht, throwing money around, rocking a huge gold medallion. In the clip, which Lee made using an AI app called Sondo, he can be seen singing: 'If you ain't lived in my head. Keep your advice in your head.' Another defiant lyric sees Lee belt out: 'Every compliment hits like a fist full of rocks.' Accompanying Lee in the video is a crowd of fake fans, who all bop along mechanically, while throwing confetti in the air.
