Woman, 21, could face jail time in Dubai for witnessing a fight

A UK woman arrested in Dubai after witnessing a fight between several friends and a stranger fears she could be sent to prison.

Asa Hutchinson, who lives in the UAE, was taken in by police after a group of men she was with got involved in a brawl with a man in a bar in 2016. They tried to take a selfie with him while he was sleeping but ended up getting into a fight with him, according to the group Detained in Dubai, which is representing Ava legally. The 21-year-old, from Chelmsford in Essex, claimed she was not with them when the row broke out. "The man woke up and began punching the boys. I heard the commotion and came back to see what was going on," she told the Evening Standard. "He called the police and made official complaints about the boys for taking pictures of him and for being rude." Ava and the men were arrested and brought to a police station but the charges were transferred to her when the police found out she was a UAE resident. The men had their passports returned to them and were freed, according to Detained in Dubai. She's been charged with assault and theft. "In Dubai, if two parties are in dispute or arguing, the first person to speak to the police is usually the one who is believed," said Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai. "By making this complaint, the man may have been safeguarding himself from being charged himself."