A mother from England and her four-year-old daughter were jailed in Dubai after the woman admitted to drinking a glass of wine on the Emirates flight from London and using her cell phone to tape her encounter at the United Arab Emirates airport.
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According to The Guardian, 44-year-old Ellie Holman and her daughter landed at Dubai International Airport July 13 and were told that they needed to return to England due to an invalid visa. Holman took out her cell phone and began taping the incident, which is not permitted in the United Arab Emirates.
Airport officials asked Holman if she had consumed alcohol during the flight, and she admitted to drinking a glass of wine. It is illegal to drink alcohol in Dubai, and the woman and her daughter were detained for three days while their passports and electronic devices were confiscated.
Holman complained about the conditions of the prison facility, including being denied water and forced to clean toilets, but she was eventually released on bail after her daughter was handed over to her husband and returned to the United Kingdom.
A spokesperson for Dubai’s Attorney General’s Office told Fox News that it disputes Holman’s claims, saying that she became abusive towards airport staff and was in the custody of airport security for less than 24 hours.
Dubai officials completed their investigation into the incident and all charges have been dropped. A government spokesperson said they decided to deport Holman after she attempted to enter the country with an expired visa.
