British TikTok influencer faces death penalty in Dubai following murder charge

A 23-year-old British TikTok influencer is facing the death penalty by firing squad in Dubai after being charged with the premeditated murder of her boyfriend, a human rights group has confirmed.

A 23-year-old British TikTok influencer is facing the death penalty by firing squad in Dubai after being charged with the premeditated murder of her boyfriend, a human rights group has confirmed.

Brooke George, a former John Lewis shop assistant from Gravesend, Kent, is being held at Bur Dubai Police Station following her arrest in the early hours of June 22 . She stands accused of fatally stabbing a 26-year-old British man, understood to be William Treeby from north Kent, with a kitchen knife at his luxury apartment .

Self-Defence Claim

The advocacy group Detained in Dubai, which is representing George, maintains that she acted in self-defence after being subjected to a violent attack . According to the group, George met the man on Facebook and travelled to Dubai, describing her first week-long visit as “the time of my life” .

However, during her second trip to the UAE, the dynamic allegedly changed dramatically. Detained in Dubai claims the man became “increasingly controlling and abusive,” withheld her passport, and assaulted her . After an evening at a bar in Jumeirah Village, George reported being attacked in a car and again upon returning to the apartment .

George’s mother, Thereza George, described a desperate phone call from her daughter after the incident: “I have never seen my daughter so frightened in my life. She was crying uncontrollably. I could see that one of her eyes was badly swollen and was beginning to close” .

Treatment in Custody

Detained in Dubai has also raised serious concerns about George’s treatment in custody. The organisation alleges she was “forced to strip naked in front of male officers, without any female officers present” an experience she described as “deeply humiliating and distressing” .

The group further claims George has been denied access to the British embassy and has been compelled to make statements without a lawyer present .

Calls for Investigation

Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, has called for George to be released on bail and for the case to be treated as a domestic violence matter . She stated: “The case raises serious concerns about violence against women, the right to self-defence, due process and the treatment of British nationals detained overseas” .

Stirling also highlighted a troubling pattern of young women being “lured to Dubai with promises of luxury lifestyles, paid work, holidays or romantic relationships,” only to later allege exploitation and violence .

The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office confirmed “We are in touch with a British woman detained in the UAE, we are supporting her family, and we are in contact with the local authorities” .