A British grandad has finally been released from a high-security jail in Dubai after four years and has been able to celebrate the festive period with his family.

Albert Douglas has been locked up over debts that were not his and, during this time, has allegedly witnessed the rape and suicides of fellow inmates, been tortured by guards, and deprived of food and water.

Radha Stirling, the founder of Detained in Dubai announced the news saying she is relieved Mr Douglas is finally safe. She said: “Albert arrived safely home to London on Friday the 19th of December, ending four years of arbitrary detention and abuse.
Mr Douglas pictured back home with his family

"During those four years, his case had been raised in Parliament, discussed by Prime Minister Liz Truss, MP’s and members of the House of Lords while simultaneously being neglected by the FCDO."

She wrote on X: "British grandfather Albert Douglas arrived in London for Christmas following a UN decision that he had been wrongfully detained in Dubai. UN ruled on our application that he should be compensated by the UAE!

"Albert Douglas, 63, was arrested on 17 December 2021 and imprisoned for more than four years. During his detention, he was beaten and tortured by Emirati prison guards, suffering serious injuries including fractures and broken bones.
Mr Douglas pictured in a hospital in the UAE

"We brought his case to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention who concluded that Mr Douglas’s imprisonment was unlawful and called for his release and compensation by the UAE. His case was also referred to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.

"Throughout those four years, we made sure Albert’s case was raised in Parliament and discussed by Prime Minister Liz Truss, MPs, and members of the House of Lords, yet he was repeatedly neglected by the FCDO. Without this sustained international pressure and intervention, Albert would almost certainly still be in prison. There were serious fears he would not survive his detention.

"Albert’s case is not isolated. In the UAE, a false allegation can be enough to put someone in prison. Extortion is commonplace, particularly against successful entrepreneurs and expatriates. Dubai promotes itself as safe, modern, and open for business. It was not safe for Albert Douglas, and it has not been safe for thousands of others we have helped over the years.

"This case raises serious questions about the UK Government’s duty of care to British citizens abroad and the adequacy of current travel and business warnings. Albert Douglas is home. But accountability is still required to ensure this does not happen to another British citizen."
Mr Douglas pictured with his two sons

Ahead of his release Mr Douglas' son Wolfgang, 38, said: "It is just like winning the lottery. The exact sentence from a lawyer that was working with me here in London was: 'You've just put your hand in the grave and you've got your dad out.' Because this is impossible."

It is understood that he was released after evidence emerged showing Mr Douglas was not responsible for bounced company cheques.

Mr Douglas once lived an enviable lifestyle in a luxurious villa on Dubai's Palm Jumeirah Island, driving around in his Rolls Royce, reports the Daily Mail. The father of four, who has a heart condition, emigrated to Dubai with his wife Naomi in 2003 and he built up a successful business called Alomni Flooring, specialising in real wood floors.

However, his life came crashing down in 2019 when he was arrested and ordered to pay a £2.5million fine by the Gulf state after his son’s company TimberWolf — which he had no association with — racked up debts it could not repay.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/breaking-brit-grandad-released-dubai-36460827

Posted by OneNormalBloke

22 comments

  1. Yet people happily go party there and promote it on socials

  2. can we just quietly remove the right to vote from anyone stupid enough to go to Dubai and watch our country improve

  3. There was a time where lots of ex-pats were fleeing the state due to unpaid debts.

    Assuming that his son fled because of unpaid debts, it was a bit naive to assume that the authorities would not come after him next.

  4. He loved Dubai till he experienced the “real” Dubai. You going back mate?

  5. Do you reckon he’s going to be talking to Wolfgang?

  7. Thriving in a city being built by slaves can bring you bad karma.

  8. We all know what the real “Dubai Chocolate” is all about.

  9. But the right wing press has been telling me all year what a lovely free speech Paradise that place is!…

  10. Sounds like it could be Wolfgang who caused the debts with his TimberWolf company. Then I’m guessing did nothing to help his dad, fled the country and left him to take the rap. Lovely family.

  11. I feel bad that the bloke had a hard time, but if he’s not a resident here paying his taxes like that wanker Mullins and so many others, why should the government get involved. He’s obviously decided to make his life out there – you take the rough with the smooth.

  12. *Ahead of his release Mr Douglas’ son Wolfgang, 38, said: “Sure, I could’ve returned to Dubai and taken responsibility myself, but I’m sure Dad didn’t mind serving my sentence”*

  13. So the real headline should be “Son racks up ÂŁ2.5M in debt. Runs away and lets his dad take the blame”

  14. But low tax and stuff eh….lol. Them fools that move over there are welcome to it. Like the old lotto adverts “It could be YOU!!”.

  20. Not sure what this has to do with the UK if he actually emigrated to Dubai?

  21. A similar scenario happened to my family when we lived there.

    My father was arrested because we had a second phone line in the house. This was because he hated that I was on the phone to my friends so he had a second installed. For three years it was perfectly fine then he had a fallout with a business colleague and my father was arrested on the way to pick me up from the school bus. I was 16 at the time? Maybe 15.

    Anyway I sat there waiting for hours for him and he never appeared, I walked to a friends house about 30 minutes walking and explained so Danny’s dad drove me home. We got there and everyone in the house was surprised because they had no idea what was going on.

    Finally after about 12 hours of searching we (my Arab brother in law specifically) found out that he was in jail. No explanation was given so my brother in law went to the station (can’t remember which but it was near Zeikh Zayed Road, asked for an explanation and nothing.

    We spent weeks trying to get an answer and eventually through a cousin of my brother in law who was a senior office in the Dubai police we had it explained that it was for the second phone line.

    After about three months my father was released when my brother in law, a UAE local who would never be arrested for shit because the country is so corrupt, handed his passport over and got my father out. He was at the airport about three hours of being released and was heading back to the UK. My mother went with him. I was then in Dubai without my parents, going through my GCSEs, in a house with my sister, and was being told not tell anyone.

    Being that age doing that shit while not being allowed to say anything. My sister got me out of there not through Dubai airport but through Abu Dhabi because it was safer as they could have arrested me for whatever reason.

    This was over 20 years ago now and I still hate the place. People tell me about it and I look at them like they’re fucking nuts. What an utter dump Dubai is. Why the hell would you go there?

  22. So what happened to his son and the company timberwolf. 

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