Influencer Brooke George is facing the death penalty in the United Arab Emirates after being charged with murdering her boyfriend who she met online earlier this year.
Ms George, 23, is currently being held in custody in notorious UAE detention centre Bur Dubai whilst awaiting a hearing that has been continuously postponed.
If convicted on the charge of murdering boyfriend William Treeby, 26, Ms George faces execution by firing squad under UAE law.
Advocacy group Detained in Dubai claims Ms George, who is from the UK, acted in self-defence when stabbing Mr Treeby with a kitchen knife during a violent attack against her.
The organisation has called for her to be released on bail and for the case to be dealt with as domestic violence.
Ms George’s mother Thereza has shared concerns over her daughter’s wellbeing inside the Dubai detention centre following the extension of her stay until a postponed hearing date on October 28.
Ms George’s mother claims she is unable to sleep and prohibited from making international phone calls.
Bur Dubai has acknowledged its facility’s poor conditions, saying its holding cells were “never meant for long-term habitation.”
“British citizens held there for just hours during the Iran strikes felt terrified at the idea of spending days, let alone months, inside,” the jail added.
Detained in Dubai alleges that on top of “suffering terribly” from horrific living conditions, Ms George has also been forced to strip naked in front of male prison officers with no females present in situations that are “deeply humiliating and distressing”.
Ms George was initially arrested at the airport while trying to leave the country on June 22.
She had been visiting Mr Treeby, who was living and working in Dubai, for the second time since meeting him online earlier that year.
Ms George described her initial trip to family and friends as “the time of my life”.
Detained in Dubai says that whilst there were “concerns” such as a pre-arranged professional bikini photoshoot during her initial interaction with Mr Treeby, Ms George was “wrapped up in the joy of the experience” that Mr Treeby provided her with.
Loved ones of Ms George became “increasingly concerned” with how she was being treated during her second visit to Dubai after she claimed her partner had become “increasingly controlling and abusive”.
“Those closest to Brooke became increasingly concerned that she may have been lured to Dubai under false pretences for the purpose of exploitation,” Chief Executive Officer of Detained Dubai Radha Stirling said.
“Their concerns were fuelled by his unexplained change in behaviour, the one-way ticket, the bikini-clad professional photo shoot arranged during her first visit, the alleged withholding of her passport, Brooke telling friends that ‘things weren’t right’, and her growing fear that she needed to escape”.
Detained in Dubai claims that leading up to the incident that landed her in jail, Ms George was trying to leave Dubai after Mr Treeby allegedly punched her, withheld her passport and then attacked her again at their apartment.
Stirling claimed she “feared for her life and, reaching for a kitchen knife within her grasp, acted in self-defence”.
Ms George’s mother Thereza recalled the lead up to the incident in a statement provided to Detained in Dubai.
“After Brooke returned to Dubai for the second time, the dynamic between them had clearly changed,” she said.
“The day before the incident, she did not seem like herself. She was quieter and not her usual happy, cheerful self, but she did not tell me why.
“That evening they went to a bar in Dubai. When I spoke to Brooke right after the incident, she was absolutely terrified. I have never seen my daughter so frightened in my life. She was crying uncontrollably. I could see that one of her eyes was badly swollen and was beginning to close.”
Soon after this recount, Ms George was arrested while trying to return home to her family.
”A bruised and battered Brooke was arrested in the early hours of the 22nd of June 2026, and has been charged with murder despite the circumstances having not been thoroughly investigated,” Detained by Dubai said.
“Brooke maintains that she acted only after being subjected to a violent assault and in genuine fear for her safety.”
Ms George’s mother added that she is “deeply concerned” for her daughter’s safety, claiming “the daughter I spoke to that night was utterly terrified”.
“I firmly believe she was desperately trying to get home and away from whatever had happened to her,” she said.
It is alleged that Ms George has not been given access to embassy aid and was forced to make statements to police without a lawyer present.
The case “raises serious concerns about violence against women, the right to self-defence, due process and the treatment of British nationals detained overseas,” according to Detained in Dubai.
“We are calling for Brooke to be released on bail pending the outcome of the investigation. The UAE has a well-documented history of criminalising and revictimising women who report violence.”
Detained in Dubai has also called for George to receive “protection, appropriate medical care, legal representation and immediate British consular assistance while the investigation proceeds.”
The UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office released a statement saying they “are in touch with a British woman detained in the UAE, we are supporting her family, and we are in contact with the local authorities.”
While Ms George’s most recent court hearing was scheduled for October 8, it was rescheduled due to summoned prosecution witnesses failing to appear before the court.
The influencer will remain in detention until her next hearing on October 28.
