Katie Price's husband Lee Andrews was arrested over a 'private civil matter' despite earlier claims he was detained for espionage, new reports have revealed. The Daily Mail reported on Saturday that Lee had been arrested and is locked up in a Dubai prison, according to his father, a claim Katie initially debunked.
Katie has since shared the two-minute phone call she had with Lee from the notorious Al Awir prison, less than 20 miles from the city's centre, described as 'hell on earth' housing murderers, terrorists, and rapists. During their first conversation since his disappearance, Lee told Katie he was arrested on suspicion of spying. However, The Sun now understands Lee was detained over claims relating to a private civil matter, and authorities confirmed he was not held over spying charges.
It is understood Lee was arrested on Wednesday, 14th May, after previously hiding out and keeping a deliberately low profile. He must now pay a four-figure fine and is expected to be released on Monday. Katie revealed what she said to Lee during their first conversation: 'I told him how worried I had been and told him I loved him. It was very rushed, but he said the authorities out there thought he was a spy. I don't know much more than that right now,' she told The Sun.
The Foreign Office today refused to confirm or deny whether Lee was being held in Al Awir prison. However, a spokesman repeated an earlier statement saying UK consular officials were 'supporting the family' of a British man and were 'in contact with officials' in the UAE about his whereabouts. An FCDO spokesperson said: 'We are supporting the family of a British man and are in contact with the local authorities.'
Lee had vanished 11 days before it was revealed he was discovered in a prison, after sending Katie a video of him hooded with his hands tied after being 'bundled into a van' and taken to a 'black site' as he tried to make his way to London to be with her. He sent a series of texts and voice messages claiming he had been kidnapped. It is understood Lee was arrested on Thursday, May 14, soon after his dad, Peter, reportedly texted Katie to explain where Lee was and later set up a phone call from the prison call box.
According to the publication, Lee had been keeping a low profile in the days before his arrest and had moved his belongings out of his apartment into his dad's. An insider claimed Lee will be released on Monday after paying a four-figure fine. Al Awir Central, nicknamed Dubai's Alcatraz, is notorious for brutal conditions, with inmates tortured for confessions and suffering from horrific illnesses. Dangerous prisoners are kept in unsanitary and overcrowded cells, alongside expats, including British citizens, many held without formal charges or coerced into confessions.
Lee is now facing what former detainees describe as inhumane conditions, where up to 15 men share a single room, sleeping on bunk beds and the floor. Katie shared her devastation in the days after Lee first went missing and she couldn't contact her husband, whom she married in January after a week-long romance. His family, who also said they were unable to contact Lee, filed a missing person's report at the British embassy.
Over the weekend, his father Peter told the Daily Mail Lee was arrested by the UAE authorities: 'Lee is OK. He has not been kidnapped but he is under arrest. I don't know on what charge. I'm not sure where he is being held. But he will call me later today. He is not at my house.' A police source said: 'Lee Andrews has been arrested.' The Daily Mail was dispatched to Dubai earlier this week after Katie announced her fourth husband was 'missing' and that she was concerned about his safety. The British Foreign Office was alerted but staff in Dubai were unable to find any trace of him at the time. A spokesperson said: 'We are supporting the family of a British man and are in contact with the local authorities.' The Dubai authorities also denied any knowledge of his whereabouts.
Lee has lived in Dubai for 20 years and it is where he and Katie got married. There was no sign of Lee at his last known address in the run-down Satwa district. He had lived there with his father Peter before becoming involved with Katie. On Wednesday morning, Indian migrant workers were renovating the modest bungalow as the temperature soared to 40C. The letting agent involved revealed the father and son had moved out months ago: 'Mr Andrews moved out of the property about four months ago.'
Lee, a well-recognised bodybuilder in Dubai, has been absent from his favourite training spots. Staff at Top Gym in the Jumeirah Palm district said he had not been there for four weeks. One said: 'Yes, we all know Lee. He comes here a lot. He brought his wife here recently. She is a slim lady with black hair. But he has not been here since the third week of April.' An expat trainer at another gym added: 'Andrews is also strutting about the Palm. I've had to warn a couple of clients not to get too involved with him. He is a very shady person.'
It also remains unexplained how Lee was able to become involved with another woman on Instagram – glamorous American woman Mari Sol – while he is being held in custody. But his father Peter told the Daily Mail that Lee has been detained: 'Lee has been arrested. I don't know on what charge. But he will call me tonight. So hopefully I will find out more.' The chief of Dubai Police confirmed he is the subject of a number of arrest warrants, mainly for fraud. Brigadier Khalid Khalifa al Avadhi told the Daily Mail: 'There are many cases against him.'
