British TikTok influencer Brooke George, 23, is facing a murder charge in Dubai and, if authorities in the United Arab Emirates find her guilty, she could be sentenced to death.
The 23-year-old from Kent, England, is accused of stabbing a 26-year-old British man with whom she had started a relationship after they met on social media. According to her testimony, she acted to save her life after the repeated abuse she claims to have suffered.
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George is currently being held in pretrial detention at Bur Dubai prison. Human rights organization “Detained in Dubai” is seeking to have the case treated as a domestic violence matter and for her to be released on bail during the investigation.
The director of the organization said the young woman took a knife only after she had been physically attacked and struck in the face.
In her testimony, George said she met the victim through Facebook. But according to her, during the trip to Dubai, his behavior changed significantly and he became controlling and abusive, The Sun reports.
She claims she became alarmed when she discovered that her partner had booked only a one-way ticket to Dubai. Then, after an evening at a bar in the Jumeirah Village area, he allegedly attacked her first in the car and then in the apartment.
According to family members, Brooke called them in a state of panic and told them she had been punched several times. Determined to leave the country, she arranged her return to Britain and went back to the apartment only to collect her passport.
Her account says that at the moment she asked for the document, she was attacked again and, fearing for her life, used a kitchen knife that was nearby to defend herself.
The 23-year-old was arrested at Dubai airport in the early hours of June 22, and was later charged with murder. The investigation is ongoing, and the authorities have not yet presented a full official version of the circumstances of the incident.
If she is found guilty under the laws of the United Arab Emirates, George could face very severe penalties, including the death penalty.
