A British woman who was facing two years in prison in Dubai after sending a WhatsApp message to her flat saying ‘f *** you’ has been released from the country after being fined £ 600 to pay.
The 31-year-old is reportedly feeling ‘greatly relieved’ after being told she could leave for free days before everyone who came from the country had to spend time in houses- quarantine hotel.
The unnamed woman is now at her parents’ home in Gloucester and is looking forward to putting the ‘traumatic ordeal’ behind her.
The woman was initially told she could not leave Dubai to fly back to the UK when she tried to fly home on 30 January.
It was then revealed that her flat partner, a Ukrainian national, had filed a criminal complaint about her under the cyber laws of the United Arab Emirates.
Speaking to the Daily Mail before returning to the UK, the woman said: “This is just a nightmare and too many are thinking about losing my new job.
“I have no apartment or work and no money. My visa for staying here runs out on February 12 and the police don’t seem to understand.
“I press my head against a brick wall. Nobody cares.”
The woman who complained refused to withdraw and the woman who was complained was warned that she was facing jail.
However, she was eventually fined after British embassy staff in Dubai and United Arab Emirates diplomats in the UK worked together on her behalf.
Radha Stirling, who founded Detained in Dubai, said the woman was allowed to return to the UK because of a combination of diplomatic pressure and media coverage.
She told the news outlet: “It’s a relief that she made it home after a terrible experience when she knew she could be imprisoned. No one should have to go through this.”
Speaking to the detained Dubai, the woman said: “I would never have expected a European to take advantage of the UAE’s strict laws.
“We shared a flat and we were all together.
“I’ve never been in trouble in my life, and I’m horrified that I’ve been convicted of a private WhatsApp exchange with someone I lived with.
“What ‘s worse, the messages were months ago and just now, when I had everything I had, I booked a flight and my visa is about to expire. concludes, can I even find out about this issue.
“I tried to persuade her to give up, but she doesn’t seem to be worried about the effect. “