A 25 year old British woman who was arrested after she was allegedly gang-raped in Dubai last night said, “I have every respect for the United Arab Emirates and its laws and have faith that justice will be done. The truth will out. It’s petrifying out here alone but I have to stay strong.” The alleged victim, separated from her husband of two years, had stopped in the UAE on her way to Australia. She is now bailed but cannot leave the UAE and her passport has been confiscated. The woman’s family say she is the victim but is being treated like a criminal by the Dubai authorities. She is currently living with an English family in a ‘safe’ house.
Dave Butlin, 22, and Louis Harris, 24, are accused of the attack. Following the attack, the woman spoke to police who then jailed her for having sex outside marriage. Butlin and Harris were arrested for the alleged attack as they tried to board a plane home. But after being questioned and bailed, they were pictured on sun loungers at a beach club with James Argent, who stars in reality TV show The Only Way is Essex. They too have had to surrender their passports and can’t leave the UAE.
Butlin and Harris allegedly attacked the woman and filmed it on a mobile phone after she went for a drink with them. Harris and Butlin strenuously deny the accusations.
All three Britons are receiving assistance from the Foreign Office and could face up to a year in prison.
They face a charge of consensual sex outside marriage and also of being drunk, which is illegal in Dubai even though consuming alcohol is not. Prosecutors might add a further charge of filming sex. In the UAE, it is illegal for married people to have sex out of wedlock and for a single person to have sex with someone who is married.
Relatives at home have mounted a social media campaign to raise legal funds. They say she needs at least £24,000 and last night £12,000 had already been donated.
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