MUM’S DUBAI ORDEAL ENDS
Brit and girl, 4, free
A BRITISH mum jailed in Dubai for drinking a glass of wine on a flight has been released.
Dr Ellie Holman, 44, and her daughter Bibi, four, pictured right, were detained for three days in harrowing conditions.
The mum-of-three was locked up in a foul smelling room and forced to clean the toilets and mop the floor.
She said she did not sleep for three days.
Dr Holman was only released after Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed intervened.
Speaking yesterday she said: “I can’t believe this is over. When I got the call from the government telling me they were dropping the case, I was in shock.
“I was told to prepare for a long stay in Dubai and a prison sentence. The man on the phone apologised on behalf of the immigration official who put me and Bibi through all this.”
Dr Holman, a dentist, of Sevenoaks in Kent, was detained after a row with an immigration official over her visa.
During the dispute she was asked if she had consumed any alcohol.
She admitted drinking a complimentary glass of wine on board the Emirates London to Dubai flight.
She was told it was illegal to consume alcohol in the UAE and could face a prison sentence.
Ellie said: “I have never broken the law and I would not have done so this time if I had known having a glass of wine in my system was an offence.”