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A law student will spend the next 25 years in a 'hell' prison in Dubai, where rape is a "daily occurrence", because she was in possession of cocaine worth around $3,400.
Mia O'Brien, a 23-year-old from the UK who aspired to become a lawyer, received the devastating sentence after being found with 50 grams of the drug in a Dubai apartment. O'Brien must also pay a $136,000 fine for the crime, which involved drugs worth an estimated $3,377.
"She pleaded not guilty, they don't have a fair trial there," devastated mother Danielle McKenna, 46, told the Daily Mail from her home in Merseyside, northwest England.
“She was just sentenced to life in prison and has to serve 25 years in prison,” McKenna said of her once-promising daughter. “The trial was conducted entirely in Arabic and Mia was informed of the sentence later by her lawyer. She is absolutely devastated by what has happened. Mia is acting really strong, but I know she is going through real hell.”
The mother said her daughter, who was studying law at the University of Liverpool, is "devastated" after her career chances were ruined.
"Mia thinks it ruined her life because she wanted to be a lawyer," McKenna said.
"She just made a stupid mistake after she went to meet a friend and her boyfriend in Dubai. I don't think she was asked to bring anything. She was caught with cocaine in an apartment. It was about 50 grams, and there were two other people there - including her friend. They have been charged with drug trafficking," McKenna said.
O'Brien is being held in Dubai's notorious Central Prison, which is known for its inhumane conditions, overcrowded cells and brutal guards. Rape is a "daily occurrence" in the cells, where both guards and prisoners carry out violent attacks, according to a report by Human Rights Watch last year.
“Mia said she has to sleep on a mattress on the floor and shares a cell with six other people,” her mother said. “The conditions in the prison are terrible. There are no staff really and she has to knock on a big door if she needs anything. She has seen fights and said she has been very scared.”
A GoFundMe set up by McKenna to pay for her daughter's legal expenses was shut down by the website for violating its terms, and the mother has now resorted to sharing her bank details on Facebook to raise money.
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