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British law student, 23, jailed for life in Dubai for 'very stupid mistake'
"Mia is only 23 years old and has never done a bad thing in her life," her mother said.
September 07, 2025, 01:25 PM
A 23-year-old British woman has been jailed for life in Dubai, according to her family.
Mia O'Brien from Liverpool, United Kingdom, reportedly "made a very stupid mistake", her mother said, as reported by The London Evening Standard.
"Has never done a bad thing in her life"
"Mia has been given a life sentence over in Dubai and she is now in central prison," her mother, 46-year-old Danielle McKenna, said.
Danielle had set up a fundraiser on GoFundMe, in which she said the money would be used to send to her daughter, any legal fees that may arise, or even to get the family over to Dubai to see her, as reported by Daily Mail.
The family had set a target of £1,600 (S$2,777) and had collected just under £700 (S$1,215) before the GoFundMe account was deleted for violating guidelines.
A GoFundMe spokesperson told The Sun that the account was removed as it violated one of the terms of the Prohibited Conduct section in its Terms of Service.
The term stipulated that fundraising for "the legal defense of financial and violent crimes" is prohibited.
Family last saw her in October
According to Danielle, the family last saw Mia in October last year.
"Mia is only 23 years old and has never done a bad thing in her life," Danielle said.
"This is a young girl, who went to university to do law, and unfortunately got mixed up [with] the wrong so-called friends and made a very stupid mistake and is now paying the price."
"She's going through it at the minute," Danielle told Daily Mail.
Life sentence
A life sentence in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is usually between 15 and 25 years of imprisonment.
It is not known what crimes Mia was convicted of, but life sentences in the UAE can be given in cases of drug trafficking and possession, murder or attempted murder, human trafficking and terrorism-related activities.
Subsequent reports stated that she had been in possession of 50 grams of cocaine.
A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson told The Standard: “We are supporting the family of a British woman detained in the UAE and are in contact with the local authorities.”
Top image via GoFundMe and Facebook
