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Just a hideous story!

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/ne ... -cell.html

I hope justice is brought swiftly to those responsible and no cover up is involved. Another blot on Dubai's reputation.

I am tempted to say there will be a cover up of sorts, but then again the UAE and UK are now officially Allies in the ongoing carry on in Libya, and so maybe some decent pressure from our embassy here will result in some kind of justice prevailing, and the relevant compensation being awarded.

You would think this kind of thinh would make the Police look at re-training that may be (!) required, but i doubt it.

Torture and rape is not uncommon in UAE prisons. These mainly go unnoticed when the victim is from a third world country.

Detained Briton died due to natural causes - Dubai attorney general
A man in Dubai on a tourist visa died in police custody of 'natural causes' on Tuesday, according to Dubai's attorney general

By Zaher Bitar, Alice Johnson, Staff Reporters Published: 18:49 April 14, 2011
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Dubai: A man in Dubai on a tourist visa died in police custody of ‘natural causes’ on Tuesday, according to Dubai’s attorney general.

Investigations into the death of Lee Bradley Brown, 39, a Briton, have started since Wednesday, Eisam Al Humaidan said. He added that the process started as soon as the death report was received by the Dubai Police.

The preliminary forensic report ruled out any torture. The formal autopsy report will be issued next week.

“The forensic report attributed Brown’s death to asphyxia. The deceased choked on his own vomit. The report also pointed to traces of hashish in his blood and urine samples,” Al Humaidan said.

Police sources said the man, a guest at the Burj Al Arab, was arrested on Saturday following a complaint by the management that he had attacked a Nepalese housekeeper. The Burj Al Arab management confirmed it had made such a complaint.

A hotel source said the Nepalese housekeeper was sent to Brown’s room after he requested assistance. He, however, reportedly attacked the woman and tried to throw her from the sixth floor. Security and staff in the hotel stopped Brown and called the police.

“She suffered injuries and bruises on her body for which she had to seek treatment,” the hotel said.

Torture claims denied

The hotel source said the police arrived at the hotel and arrested Brown. “We learnt of his death from the police three days after the incident,” the source said.

The police source denied any torture of the suspect as was reported in a section of the press. He said that following Brown’s arrest, interrogators took his statement and he was about to be referred to the public prosecutor.

Al Humaidan stressed that Dubai Police treats all its detainees in the context of human rights and human integrity.

He also expressed his condolences to the family of the deceased.

Ruzina Hassan, political and media officer at the British Embassy in Dubai, said the embassy was alerted of the case.

“We can confirm that British national, Lee Bradley [Brown], died on April 12 in police custody. We are providing consular assistance for the family; it’s a difficult time so our thoughts are with the family at this time,” she said.

“We have been in contact with Dubai Police at the highest level since this tragic situation happened. We have also stressed the importance of a full investigation to Dubai Police.”

She said the police have assured the embassy that they were investigating the case and officials from the consular section are in close contact with Dubai Police. “We are also in constant contact with the family and are providing consular support at this time.”

bollox

How does it feel to be Brittish in Dubai, knowing that if you go to jail your Embassy will do nothing to help, and they will even endorse and staple a dubai autopsy report on your body bag.
If the heart stopped beating , then it must be a natural cause.
Burj El Arab, 7 stars hotel, one and only hotel in the world to make sure unhappy customers end up in a body bag..........I still don't get why there are still people traveling there.
A few days ago during a national radio interview i said that Dubai was a brutal police state, I was spot on!

uaebadoo, that story is such a load of tosh! Of course they're not going to admit to anything! Who are these 'sources', interesting that the 7 Days website which reported the incident as per the UK press was swiftly taken offline!

I smell a rat!

This whole story has more holes than the Swiss cheese in Choitrams!

The guy was a Dagenham chav and could possibly rustle up enough cash to buy a holiday in Dubai...but in the Burj Al Arab? Even at discounted rates its still one of the most expensive hotels in the world.

So then he gets here and ends up trying to throw a housekeeper of the 6th floor balcony? I would guess copius amounts of tax free lager and vodka were involved there and he assumed that the female staff were 'available'. Security at the Burj is run mainly by South African ex special forces dudes and they know how to look after themselves.

So then he gets slapped in handcuffs and rightly hauled off to the holding cells at Bur Dubai police station.

This is where is all starts to smell like Deira fish market.

When you are processed at the police station they take EVERYTHING off you. No phone, no documents, no shoe laces, no belts. Its very thorough, all documented and kept in a box with your name and case no. on the lid.

If you smoke, they hold your cigarettes for you and you are allowed one every 3 hours. All the inmates are put in one room and the unlit cigarettes handed out. One inmate then gets a light from a guard and it is passed around until everyone is lit. Dog ends have to be left in a tray and are counted to ensure the number handed out is the same as the number of finished ones.

Meals are in the same communal room and consist of biryani in a plastic container. There are no knives, forks or spoons and you either eat it with your fingers or make a scoop out of the foil coated cardboard lid. Again, the number of containers and lids are counted in and counted out again. You get a small carton of juice or a plastic bottle of water. The container, empty or part full, is not allowed to leave the dining area.

So the UK papers claim the family received calls from other Brits in the same cell on mobile phones and that they found the contact details in his passport? Not possible. 100% that passport would be held outside the cells by the police. The cells are monitored 24/7 with cameras, anyone having a mobile phone would be spotted. There is nowhere to keep it and nowhere to charge it up.

The layout is a series of open cells with bunks either side of a communal corridor which is normally filled with mattresses and blankets as the cells are overcrowded and people sleep wherever they can. The lights are never turned off. There is a locked barred door at the entrance and a communal washroom, 2 open cubicle hole in the floor toilets and a shower cubicle at the end. If you don't have a towel, tough. You do not have the luxury of a change of clothes and must wash and dry the ones you arrived in, no matter how long you have been there. Long term inmates (and some have been there for months awaiting court appearances) are allowed one change of clothes, a towel, a toothbrush, toothpaste and a bar of soap. These are held by the warders and have to be asked for each time.

Any disturbance, such as a disruptive prisoner or argument, is immediately responded to by the warders.

The major fail here is on behalf of the Dubai police as they should have been aware of anyone in distress or sick. It is their responsibility to ensure the prisoners in their care receive the basic human amenities and civil rights. If he was beaten, then there would be physical evidence post mortem and confirmation of this would be insisted upon by the British Consulate. Even then the body will have to be examined when repatriated and any sign of beating leading to death would be evident. The police could not hide this.

The initial Dubai investigation claims he died of asphyxiation due to choking on his own vomit. It does happen (Jimi Hendrix, Phil Lynnott come to mind as examples) however the full report will not be issued until next week. Until then, it is all conjecture and hype generated by the UK trash media to have yet another bash at Dubai and sell more papers through sensationalism and economy of truth. If it turns out the man did die of natural causes, do you think the papers will print a retraction at the same scale they announced the unconfirmed tale of him dying from a sound beating? I doubt it.

Whatever the truth, it will be twisted to suit the ends of whichever party is reporting it.

In summary:
Don't believe everything you read in the UK papers or the Dubai media.
The police have a responsibility to answer for as he died in their custody.
Someone died, that is sad no matter what the circumstances.



Knight

DK - Sounds like we have a mutual intimate knowledge of Bur Dubai, mine being from quite some time ago. Your description is accurate to a degree and perhaps reflects changes. On entering the business end of the Hotel Bur Dubai you have left side (Arabs) and right side (everyone else + arabs).

The right side has as you described two sub corridors leading off the main one where the prayer area the telephone and the washroom / toilets are located. Each sub corridor leads to an uncovered area. Each open cell of which there are about 8 down each side, has 2 bunks (4 beds). The rest get to sleep on the floor on matresses or concrete.

The smoking regime that you describe was the one from Neeaba not Bur Dubai, but who knows that may have changed. However everyone had their "papers" be it a pile of chicken scratch allegations or defence papers and a copy of their passport, which is what I first read was where the emergency contact details were obtained by the 4 Brits.

The ONE thing that the consulate does do is provide you with 3 sheets of papers and a pen or pencil.

I saw a number of mobile phones there, however assuming that there were none, the witnesses still had access to the public phone and could have called from there.

For the life of me I cannot think or recall where this communal dining room was - the only place that fits that description is Neeaba (Public Prosecution) Building.

Agree about the rest, horrible conditions, regular heavy handed beatings but have to question the "major fail". I have an image of the coroner as a chinese chef formerly employed at the Kwality Diner recently redeployed in government service going to work with a cleaver. I would seriously question what a subsequent investigation would (a) be able to establish and (b) be prepared to reveal in these circumstances.

In closing I have to agree, the family will protest the truth as they see it, and Dubai will report how they are instructed to. Whether he had the "right" to be at the Burj Al Arab is no ones business but his own and the fact that he died in Police custody really comes as no surprise, it was always a case of 'not if, but when'.

@ DK - it seems your post on this thread is at odds with your post on the other thread on this subject, where you joke about falling down the stairs, etc. The post here reads like a stern defence of Duabi Police, and Dubai in general. Which is a bit of a turnaround, if i read it right.....

I've also seen it reported that the asphyxiation was a "leakage of fluid into the respiratory system", which may be a euphamism for choking on vomit in some instances, but could also describe a leakage of blood into the lungs - caused by internal bleeding, casued by a good beating?

Only an autopsy by a pathologist in the UK is going to confirm this, but the sister confirms people in custody phoned her, and so that side of the story stands up.

Chocoholic wrote:uaebadoo, that story is such a load of tosh! Of course they're not going to admit to anything! Who are these 'sources', interesting that the 7 Days website which reported the incident as per the UK press was swiftly taken offline!

I smell a rat!

He was drunk and on drugs
He tried to Kill a lady
He death was natural according to the general prosecuter
Listen: if we say one wrong word when we reach london airport, they throw us in Jail, I know
one local was in Jail for 6 months because of 1 word in the Airport
Problems always comes from the same nationality, (Mall incident, Beach incident, .... etc)
Many people die because of hunger and wars, innocnet peopel were detained, tortured by
western intellengnce.... who cares
but when a Brit die..... it is the end of the world ...

uaebadoo wrote:

Chocoholic wrote:Listen: if we say one wrong word when we reach london airport, they throw us in Jail, I know
one local was in Jail for 6 months because of 1 word in the Airport
Problems always comes from the same nationality, (Mall incident, Beach incident, .... etc)
Many people die because of hunger and wars, innocnet peopel were detained, tortured by
western intellengnce.... who cares
but when a Brit die..... it is the end of the world


...

Come on, you are exageratting.
Was that one word "bomb" by any chance?

uaebadoo wrote:

Chocoholic wrote:uaebadoo, that story is such a load of tosh! Of course they're not going to admit to anything! Who are these 'sources', interesting that the 7 Days website which reported the incident as per the UK press was swiftly taken offline!

I smell a rat!

He was drunk and on drugs
He tried to Kill a lady
He death was natural according to the general prosecuterListen: if we say one wrong word when we reach london airport, they throw us in Jail, I know
one local was in Jail for 6 months because of 1 word in the Airport
Problems always comes from the same nationality, (Mall incident, Beach incident, .... etc)
Many people die because of hunger and wars, innocnet peopel were detained, tortured by
western intellengnce.... who cares
but when a Brit die..... it is the end of the world ...

For the first three statements you made: you know all of that for an absolute, total fact?? If you do, then you know more than everyone else that has spoken out on what happened.

As DK said the security at Burj Al Arab are all South African ex-military/police. The person who was the Director of Security - who is no longer there - brought all his mates with him to the hotel - and I'm sure that they all had blood on their hands. They are far worse that any police in Dubai. This person, would brag about how many blacks he killed in SA. His delivery was believeable because he was someone you didn't want to come across in a dark alley if he had a problem with you.

I wouldn't be surprised if the security at the Burj were the ones who beat the guy and as a result he suffered internal injuries that caused his death. Maybe the Dubai police should turn their attention to the Burj security. I know that the former Director of Security had created interrogation rooms in the sub-basement of the hotel and held many an "interrogation" there.

What word did your friend utter at the airport in London? Was it "terrorist"? Was it "bomb"? That would get anyone arrested in the UK, the US, Australia, and even in the UAE!!!!

Well I’ve just listened to a news bulletin on BBC World and a live report from Sky News, and there are still two distinct version of events regarding the actions of Lee Brown leading up to his incarceration and subsequent death while in custody in the Bur Dubai police station.

I would hope that the post Mortem in the UK will resolve any confusion in the plethora of interpretation and personal opinion currently circulating the internet news feeds, and agree wholeheartedly with DK’s analogy and summary;

Dubai Knight wrote:
In summary:
Don't believe everything you read in the UK papers or the Dubai media.
The police have a responsibility to answer for as he died in their custody.
Someone died, that is sad no matter what the circumstances.



Knight

VW: Bur Dubai police station had a facelift 2 years ago and they upgraded the holding cells. The communal dining area was added then, it has a glass roof that means it is like a greenhouse in summer and they never have enough AC.

There is a meet and greet area at the end of the corridor now where they check guests into the hotel and process all their belongings which are then held in a sort of locker room. The cells are now behind a steel door with a sliding shutter window that is only opened from the inside when the warder on duty is sure you are allowed.

Just inside this door are now 2 re-enforced glass windowed interview rooms where you can talk to inmates over an old fashioned telephone handset. There is a wall mounted payphone in each one. Inmates are not allowed past this point once they cross the threshold until they are released or hauled off to Public Prosecution.

The smoking and dining regime were adopted from the old Bur Dubai station off Bank Street.

Blueorb: I am not defending the Dubai police here, they have failed in their obligations by letting a human being die in their custody, no matter how it happened. My other post was an attempt at levity.

The moral to both is, don't listen to the media anywhere. They twist the truth to suit the ends of sales and profit, no matter what the story. They feed on death and destruction like Dementors.



Knight

Bora Bora wrote:

uaebadoo wrote:

Chocoholic wrote:uaebadoo, that story is such a load of tosh! Of course they're not going to admit to anything! Who are these 'sources', interesting that the 7 Days website which reported the incident as per the UK press was swiftly taken offline!

I smell a rat!

He was drunk and on drugs
He tried to Kill a lady
He death was natural according to the general prosecuterListen: if we say one wrong word when we reach london airport, they throw us in Jail, I know
one local was in Jail for 6 months because of 1 word in the Airport
Problems always comes from the same nationality, (Mall incident, Beach incident, .... etc)
Many people die because of hunger and wars, innocnet peopel were detained, tortured by
western intellengnce.... who cares
but when a Brit die..... it is the end of the world ...

For the first three statements you made: you know all of that for an absolute, total fact?? If you do, then you know more than everyone else that has spoken out on what happened.

As DK said the security at Burj Al Arab are all South African ex-military/police. The person who was the Director of Security - who is no longer there - brought all his mates with him to the hotel - and I'm sure that they all had blood on their hands. They are far worse that any police in Dubai. This person, would brag about how many blacks he killed in SA. His delivery was believeable because he was someone you didn't want to come across in a dark alley if he had a problem with you.

I wouldn't be surprised if the security at the Burj were the ones who beat the guy and as a result he suffered internal injuries that caused his death. Maybe the Dubai police should turn their attention to the Burj security. I know that the former Director of Security had created interrogation rooms in the sub-basement of the hotel and held many an "interrogation" there.

What word did your friend utter at the airport in London? Was it "terrorist"? Was it "bomb"? That would get anyone arrested in the UK, the US, Australia, and even in the UAE!!!!

Yes this guy tried to throw a lady holding her hair, from the sixth floor
my friend did you forget Ronald Fowles when he triggered the scare in January last year which grounded the Emirates flight at London Heathrow airport when he said there was a bomb on the plane
do you think british police will put hime in jail for 6 months !!!!! but if it was a muslim
he will not be execused as drunk, he will treated in a very different way

Bora Bora wrote: ....I know that the former Director of Security had created interrogation rooms in the sub-basement of the hotel and held many an "interrogation" there.

Call me naive, but why on earth would the security at the Burj al Arab need an interrogation room? An office, maybe, but who on earth would they be "interrogating". Sounds a bit sinister, but then the way you describe it, with ex special forces from SA, it probably is.

A friend of mine told me there is a casino in the basement area somewhere - any truth in that to your knowledge?

I have only been there once - took my wife to the Skybar or a few drinks. The Camel Mohito was very good (tastes better than it sounds....), but overall i found it very overrated, and definitely not "7"star. Plus i had to come down to the lobby to smoke, as the whole place is no smoking. very bizarre!

S#it hits the fan, now a diplomatic crisis, hopefully a chance to expose Dubai goons cover ups
http://topnews.ae/content/27062-diploma ... th-tourist

Dubai officials refuse to release the body to British authorities....what an outrage and cover up!
Foreign Office officials are trying to get four Brits in the detention centre moved amid fears they will face reprisals.....more body bags?.
forget the witnesses, they probably are already "disapeared"
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/ne ... &ATTR=News

gertrude wrote:Dubai officials refuse to release the body to British authorities....what an outrage and cover up!
Foreign Office officials are trying to get four Brits in the detention centre moved amid fears they will face reprisals.....more body bags?.
forget the witnesses, they probably are already "disapeared"
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/ne ... &ATTR=News

Nowhere does it claim that Dubai officials have refused to release the body to British authorities.

Once again, a shallow dig by a sleaze newspaper without a single concrete fact, probably made up on the spot by a sub editor with column inches to fill.

Let us wait until an official statement is made by the British Consulate here, they are about the only people you could trust as they are 'on the ground' and know the terrain. It will possibly be couched in diplomatic tones as the UK would hate to hack off their favourite Ascot sponsor, but might contain a grain of truth.



Knight

I read an article this morning (I believe it was in the Daily Mail) where it was said that the Dubai police refused to turn the body over to the British embassy and the British embassy in turn made a statement that it was a "Dubai matter". Stakes could be high here so maybe the the only official statement the British embassy could make is one that is peppered with some truth, but not the whole story.

I notice that alot of articles on this have been "disappearing".

This was extracted from the updated article Gertrude posted:

Last night his family were consulting lawyers after officials refused to release his body.

Interesting to see how the Dubai police, who were constantly referred to as "the Keystone cops" are getting a very heavy defense here.

Dubai Knight wrote:

gertrude wrote:Dubai officials refuse to release the body to British authorities....what an outrage and cover up!
Foreign Office officials are trying to get four Brits in the detention centre moved amid fears they will face reprisals.....more body bags?.
forget the witnesses, they probably are already "disapeared"
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/ne ... &ATTR=News

Nowhere does it claim that Dubai officials have refused to release the body to British authorities.

Once again, a shallow dig by a sleaze newspaper without a single concrete fact, probably made up on the spot by a sub editor with column inches to fill.

Let us wait until an official statement is made by the British Consulate here, they are about the only people you could trust as they are 'on the ground' and know the terrain. It will possibly be couched in diplomatic tones as the UK would hate to hack off their favourite Ascot sponsor, but might contain a grain of truth.



Knight

DK you are in denial, on your own admission the UK would dilute or bury this case for political reasons but you trust them anyways?????
So you probably trust that you would receive the best help there is from your consultate if you found yourself in trouble for no reason.
You see in my case, I never trusted my own consulate, they are all the same, they will sell you down the river.
The article posted by Gertrude does mention that Dubai officials refused to release the body.

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/crime ... e-1.794878

So a second autopsy is being carried out - let's see if anything turns up different from the first.

And a promise that if anything untoward is found that implicates the police, then the officer in charge will face the justice system like anyone else.

We'll have to wait and see how this pans out.......

uaeboobooboo, and you know all this how? Stop whining and tarring everyone with the same brush, I can assure you that many people from all different nationalities find themselves in trouble for various things - it's just the fact that our press are extremely vocal in reporting such things.

Come on, there are many dirty little cover ups, and I bet this is going to be another one. The UAE press are completely biased and cannot say much that is derogatory or biased against the authorities here, you do know that any journo caught doing so gets a 5 million dirham fine right?

Updated reports indicate that the British embassy is bowing out and will stand by the reports issued by the Dubai officials. UK Foreign Office as well. Initially a UK pathologist was going to come to Dubai and examine the body, but that has been withdrawn. Sooooo, if the British embassy is comfortable with the Dubai official report, then why their concerned about other Brits being held, wanting to meet with them and want them moved? Australia and Canada are also concerned about their countrymen being held in prison.

Seems the only recourse the family has is a lawyer who runs the "Detained in Dubai" organization.

Good going to the British embassy.

Yeah I agree it's a complete cop out. However, if the family wanted to, they could get an independent autopsy done themselves - I'm sure this might be the next move.

I agree. But first they will need to get the body back to the UK. Wonder what redtape they might face in getting that to happen. Unless, of course, his body gets "misplaced". Can't cremate him, as that isn't done here.

My heart goes out to that family. And to top it off, their own country abandons them!!!

Chocoholic wrote:Yeah I agree it's a complete cop out. However, if the family wanted to, they could get an independent autopsy done themselves - I'm sure this might be the next move.

Brit … Dubai… trouble !! classic
Well choc ,you got to be ashamed by now to introduce your self as a brit with all theses shameful acts your kind do worldwide. Dubai is the 2nd after Thailand in jailing brits witch indicate that brits still believes its their play ground with no laws to obey and frankly someone should consistently keep teaching them lessons to behave properly.

The above is in case the guy got really beaten in jail .

Now regarding a “cover up” as you claim, well you need to educated your self more in the matter forensic evidence. No one can hide them, the cause of death can be determined even years after the death accrued “discovery channel freak” and Dubai police or forensic knows that and knows that they will VS the Brits forensic detectives ones the body reaches the uk and Dubai forensics are no match to the British one so it would be insane and stupid to pull such a cover up, it simply cannot be covered .

Dubai police so fare said that they informed the uk embassy 10 mins after the guy was jailed and wonder why would we beat him knowing that a representative from the embassy or any of his relative might come any min? the brit case was a usual one Dubai police faces daily.

I would have to agree with DK though that jailed ppl with his conditions should have some medical attention no matter what the case is.

But again
http://www.sgul.ac.uk/media/latest-news ... ue-to-rise
I guess that’s why the embassy is quite about the hall thing

uaekid wrote:
Dubai is the 2nd after Thailand in jailing brits witch indicate that brits still believes its their play ground with no laws to obey and frankly someone should consistently keep teaching them lessons to behave properly.

So how many UAE nationals are in jail in Thailand for similar crimes? Or is it just that they can they afford to buy themselves out? As for treating this place as a playground and behaving properly, perhaps you should look to your own kinsmen's behaviour here first...

[quote]Dubai police so fare said that they informed the uk embassy 10 mins after the guy was jailed and wonder why would we beat him knowing that a representative from the embassy or any of his relative might come any min? the brit case was a usual one Dubai police faces daily.[quote]

So they inform the Embassy of every country 10 minutes after they arrest a foreign national? They don't inform anyone until someone comes and asks if they have them. They take away all forms of communication and you are completely isolated immediately. So why did they inform the UK Embassy (which is in Abu Dhabi actually, it is merely a Consulate here) in this case unless they were feeling guilty about something?

The Embassy is possibly keeping quiet until they have sorted out the official story as a diplomatic incident is not in their interests. The UK government probably still have a whole bunch of planes and military equipment to deliver and get paid for...



Knight

had to come back when i heard the news .. it’s raining brits ...lool

let’s see what we have here , another brit with bad behavior ..very bad behavior .. trying to kill some1 while on drug or alcohol is not the main issue for so many brits right now as their attention is diverted to Dubai police negligence in treating the poor drunk guy however i have to say to DK there is big different between UAE citizens and KSA citizens, I’m not saying that we don’t cause trouble when we travel to a foreign country but not as much as brits do .

Dear Choc ..I’m proud of you .. how did you know about Dubai police cover ups ..you must have a well trusted sources for your info. except for 7 days .YOUR topic title is far far away from the true story and sounds BIASED to me .