Brit grandad, 75, facing jail in Dubai after asking neighbours to be quiet
A grandad is facing jail in Dubai after being accused of trespassing when he asked his daughter's neighbours to keep the noise down while he was babysitting.
Ian MacKeller, 75, from Aberdeenshire, Scotland, had travelled to the UAE to visit his daughter and look after her young child during the festive period. The family's neighbours were hosting a New Year's Eve party and, despite asking them to be mindful of the noise at 1am on January 1, the family claim the music got louder.
Mr MacKeller decided to visit the neighbour to ask them to quiet down, taking his infant granddaughter with him so his daughter could sleep. But when no one answered the door, he found an open path leading to the garden where the party was happening. He asked if they could move the party indoors but claims guests began to push him and shout at him, even knocking his granddaughter's bottle to the ground.
As he tried to leave, he says the host approached him, shouting loudly and even throwing her drink over him and the baby. Mr MacKeller called her behaviour "unacceptable," and wanted to tell the police, but his daughter was too scared it would upset the neighbours. Now, the woman who threw the party has gone to the police about Ian coming onto her property without permission - which means he can't leave the country he might even be locked up for years.
Radha Stirling, a top lawyer and boss of Detained in Dubai, is trying to help Ian get out of trouble. She said: "It is standard practice in Dubai to pre-emptively file a police report when at risk of being reported. The prosecution tends to side with whomever makes the first police report, so if someone is at risk of being reported themselves, they will quickly file against the actual victim."
Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade
Ian Mackeller is facing jail in Dubai after being accused of trespassing when he asked his daughter's neighbours to keep the noise down (Detained In Dubai / SWNS)"This is how people familiar with Dubai justice manipulate the system to their advantage. It is commonplace for foreigners in this situation to offer financial compensation to their accuser in order to drop the case. Authorities in Dubai need to crack down on this blatant abuse of the criminal justice system. The practice is systemic and will require significant legislative change to stamp it out completely."
"It's imperative that parliamentary representatives support their constituents where they face injustice. We're seeing more and more MP's demanding action from the FCDO and foreign ministry counterparts in countries like the UAE, Qatar and Saudi."
Mr MacKeller was due to fly back to Scotland on 10 January, but he's now stuck in the UAE, away from his family - and is unable to access medical help. Speaking of Mr MacKeller's plight, Stirling added: "This is a very sad situation. Nobody would ever imagine that a polite request to turn the music down would result in a travel ban and criminal prosecution,"
"Again and again, we are reminded that a simple trip to Dubai can indeed be a one-way ticket. If the case isn't dropped, Ian will likely end up in prisons notorious for human rights violations, and he simply doesn't deserve it."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
