A young woman from Liverpool has found herself at the center of an international ordeal that her family says has left them devastated.
Mia O’Brien, 23, had been studying law with hopes of building a promising career. But a trip abroad has turned into a nightmare that now sees her locked inside Dubai Central Prison.
Her mother, Danielle McKenna, revealed the shocking development through a fundraising plea for legal and travel expenses.
“Mia has been given a life sentence over in Dubai, and she is now in central prison,” McKenna said. “As her mother, I am absolutely devastated. I haven’t seen my daughter since last October.”
Family members have described Mia as someone who never caused trouble but became entangled with the wrong group of friends.
“This is a young girl who went to university to do law, and unfortunately got mixed up in the wrong so-called friends and made a very stupid mistake, and is now paying the price,” her mother wrote.
Initial reports did not reveal what crime she was convicted of, though life sentences in Dubai usually relate to drug trafficking or violent offences. Her mother later disclosed that authorities discovered a “chunk” of a controlled substance during a raid last October, a detail that became the basis of her conviction.
British media reported that prosecutors treated the case as a serious narcotics offence, with Mia sentenced to life imprisonment and fined the equivalent of £100,000.Her mother told the Daily Mail, “She’s going through it at the minute. She’s just been transferred to another prison after getting a life sentence. It’s been a massive shock.”
The case has drawn attention to the UAE’s strict drug laws, where even trace amounts in the bloodstream are counted as possession. The UK Foreign Office warns that trafficking offences can result in life terms or even harsher penalties.
For Mia’s family, the focus is now on appealing the judgment and raising funds to cover mounting legal fees and the cost of visiting her in Dubai. McKenna added,
“She wanted to be a lawyer or a solicitor. She feels she has destroyed her life.”
As the legal battle continues, her family is asking for understanding rather than judgment. To them, Mia’s imprisonment is the tragic outcome of one wrong choice that changed her future forever.
Featured image credit: (Facebook – Mia O’Brien)
