Mum of jailed woman in Dubai reveals the cause of her arrest

The 23-year-old has been sentenced to life in jail

Mia O’Brien from Huyton, Merseyside, is being held in the city’s central prison.

Mia’s mother, Danielle McKenna, 46, wrote on a now-removed fundraiser that her daughter had made a 'very stupid mistake'.

In a new interview with the Daily Mail, Danielle has revealed why her daughter has been arrested.

She told the outlet that Mia was found with 50 grams of cocaine in October. She pleaded not guilty to the charges, but was convicted after a day-long hearing on July 25.

"She was just given a life sentence and has to serve 25 years," Danielle added.

"The trial was all in Arabic and Mia was told of the sentence later by her lawyer."

The court also fined Mia £100,000. The estimated street value of the drugs that Mia was caught with is £2,500 in the UK.

Danielle told the Daily Mail that Mia is 'absolutely devastated'.

"Mia feels she has destroyed her life as she wanted to be a lawyer or solicitor. I speak to her but she can't say too much on the phone.

"She's just made a stupid mistake after going over to see a friend and her boyfriend in Dubai.

"But she paid for her own flight as she had a bit of savings. No one paid for her flight so she's not one of these wannabe influencers.

"I don't think she was asked to bring anything back. She was caught with cocaine in an apartment."

She continued: "It was about 50 grams and there were two other people - her friend included. They have been charged with drug dealing.

"I don't know whether the friend's boyfriend was a drug dealer but I feel he has a lot to answer for."

She says that her daughter has 'never been in trouble and is not a drug taker.'

Danielle went on to describe the conditions that Mia is living in, as she is being house in the notoriously violent Dubai Central Prison.

"The prison conditions are horrendous. There are no staff really and she has to bang on a big door if she needs anything," she said.

"She's seen fights and said she has been really scared.

"Mia said she has to sleep on a mattress on the floor and shares the cell with six others."

It comes after Danielle issued pleas for help through a fundraiser.

Danielle wrote on the now-deleted fundraising page: “Mia has been given a life sentence over in Dubai, and she is now in central prison.

“As you can all probably imagine, as her mother, I am absolutely devastated.

“I haven’t seen my daughter since last October.

“Mia is only 23 years old and has never done a bad thing in her life.

“This is a young girl who went to university to do law, and unfortunately got mixed up with the wrong so-called friends, made a very stupid mistake and is now paying the price."

GoFundMe subsequently removed the fundraiser from its site, citing a 'violation'.

“It was removed because it violates Term 9 of the Prohibited Conduct section in our Terms of Service," the site told The Sun.

“Term 9 prohibits raising funds on GoFundMe for the legal defence of certain alleged crimes.”