The mother of an Irish air stewardess in custody in Dubai for trying to take her own life after allegedly suffering domestic abuse at the hands of her husband said she is 'desperate to get home' and has been through 'the worst time of her life'.
Tori Towey,28,has been banned from leaving the UAE and told she faces jail for drinking alcohol and attempting to take her own life following an alleged beating by her husband.
Irish premier Simon Harris has said he will work to intervene in the 'appalling' case,while Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald raised Ms Towey's case in the Irish Parliament on Tuesday afternoon.
Tori's mum Caroline told MailOnline: 'The support from the Irish government and the Irish people has been incredible and we weren't expecting it at all. It's a small country and the politicians are real people.
'We are both exhausted and desperate to get home. Thank you so much to everyone supporting us.'
She added that her daughter had been through 'the worst time of her life and needs to come home with me and heal'.
Caroline later said the 'victim support' unit with Dubai police have made contact to offer their support and the police have also offered the services of a lawyer – raising hopes that a travel ban and any possible charged could be dropped within days.
For years,Sheikh Maktoum (pictured in 2019) has often intervened when ugly legal cases threaten his country's international reputation
It is women's rights that are most commonly abused. A 2005 law states that 'a husband's rights over his wife' include the wife's 'courteous obedience to him',and places conditions on a married woman's right to work or leave the house.
These rules are routinely used by estranged husbands to exert control over their spouses,even when both parties are Western expats.
Radha says: 'We had one client,a German woman in the process of separating from her husband,who had decided to get a job. Her husband rang up the company and said,'I didn't give her permission' and they had to fire her.'
In Dubai,extra-marital sex is punishable by one year or more in prison. On the basis of this law,Amnesty says,a Swedish-run hospital in Ajman Emirate was forced to report pregnant,unmarried women to the police.
Three years ago,a 29-year-old South African resident of Dubai called Emlyn Culverwell took his fiancée,Iryna Nohal,a Ukrainian,to a doctor,complaining of stomach pain.
He promptly diagnosed that she was pregnant. But rather than offering treatment,the doctor called the police. The couple were arrested and jailed when they could not produce a marriage license.
Eventually,they were released,apparently at the behest of Sheikh Maktoum. For years,he often intervened when ugly legal cases threaten his country's international reputation.
If you need to talk to someone,call the Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit Samaritans.org
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