‘Billy’s come close to losing his mind in Abu Dhabi hell hole’
BILLY HOOD’S FAMILY SAY HE’S IN ‘COCKROACH-INFESTED CELL’
THE action group protesting against the 25-year imprisonment of Ladbroke Grove football coach Billy Hood has alleged he is in a “cockroach-infested Abu Dhabi hell hole”.
Billy Hood, 24, was sentenced to 25 years in the UAE earlier this year on the charges of possessing CBD oil, which he denies.
Since his sentencing in October, London-based organisation Detained in Dubai has worked with Mr Hood’s distressed family to bring him home, but now accept he will spend his 25th birthday in prison.
The group claims that since Mr Hood’s lawyers have started to fight against his sentencing, things have gotten worse for the 24-year old.
Mr Hood’s uncle David Guckion has also made several claims about the shocking treatment his nephew has allegedly been put through at the Al Sadr prison in Abu Dhabi.
He said: “I spoke to him but he was very limited in what he could say.
“He was put into solitary confinement on arrival and the limit is supposed to be five days, but he was put in for 10. The lights were on full beam 24 hours a day. Billy told me he came close to losing his mind in the cockroach infested cell with no toiletries and the aircon set to -10°C.
“Conditions have gone downhill rapidly. Billy is very fearful of this new regime and was very, very cautious in what he was saying. The embassy is a total embarrassment. They visited him on Friday, a total waste of time.
“It’s the first time they have seen him in 10 months. There were guards present at the meeting and also a colonel of the prison.
“He tried to hand the embassy a letter for his mum. The colonel took it off of the embassy staff and said he will deal with it.
“The Foreign Office was pushing for the safety of the Chinese tennis player who went missing and that’s very noble, but when it comes to their own citizens they simply don’t want to know, especially if they are in the UAE. It’s trade before people”.
Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai and Due Process International, added: “This is a form of torture and most certainly contravenes UN directives.
“We’ve received numerous reports over the years that interrogation rooms and cells have been turned into freezer boxes, with some prisoners even douched in ice-cold water.
“This treatment is a violation of what Britain stands for and must be investigated.
“We cannot very well have our allies treating our citizens in this manner, while we continue to allow them to market their country as a safe and modern destination for tourism and investment”.
MyLondon has approached the Foreign Office for more information on Billy’s case.