A British TikToker has been charged with premeditated murder in Dubai and could face the death penalty if convicted.
Brooke George, 23, from Gravesend, Kent, is accused of murder over the fatal stabbing of a 26-year-old British man she met online after travelling to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to pursue a relationship with him.
The influencer says she was acting in self-defence. Multiple crimes carry the death penality in the UAE, though it is often commuted to a lengthy prison sentence.
Campaign group Detained in Dubai, which is supporting George, said she acted after being violently assaulted and fearing for her life.
According to the organisation, George first met the man on Facebook and travelled to Dubai after the pair developed an online relationship.
Her first visit lasted around a week and was positive, with George describing it as "the time of my life".
However, during a second visit, she alleges his behaviour changed dramatically.
She says he became increasingly controlling and abusive, and she discovered he had booked her only a one-way ticket to Dubai.
Detained in Dubai said the pair had met at a bar before returning to his apartment, where George alleges he assaulted her.
According to her family, she contacted them in a state of panic after being repeatedly punched.
They say she arranged a flight home with the help of friends and returned to the apartment only to collect her passport before leaving the country.
Her family allege she found her belongings strewn across the apartment and was punched again while begging for the return of her passport.
George says she feared for her life and reached for a kitchen knife, acting in self-defence.
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A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: "We are in touch with a British woman detained in the UAE, we are supporting her family, and we are in contact with the local authorities."
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