Dubai drugs: three Britons jailed claim they were tortured

Grant Cameron, Suneet Jeerh and Karl Williams (pictured above, left to right), have been jailed for four years each after being found carrying a quantity of a synthetic cannabis whilst on holiday in July last year.

They kept telling me I was going to die. I was so scared. Karl Williams

However the men claim they were subjected to torture, including being beaten and tasered – and say they had guns held to their heads as they signed documents they did not understand. Mr Williams claims he was given electric shocks to his testicles.

On Tuesday, UAE President Sheikh Khalifa will arrive in the UK on a state visit, and prisoner charity Reprieve has called for the prime minister to seek the return of the three men, and a full investigation into the torture claims.

Reprieve investigator Kate Higham said: “The central fact of this case remains that these men were tortured by police, but there has been no proper investigation into their abuse.

I just wanted it all to end so was trying to cooperate as much as possible. Grant Cameron

“The only reasonable course of action for the UAE authorities now is to grant these men clemency, release them and allow them to return home to their families.”

‘Relief’

Tracy Cameron, Gavin’s mother, said she felt a great sense of relief at the sentence (video, above). “Short of my son, which would have been the most fantastic news, of him being acquittted and walking out of the court that day, he got the minimum sentence, so we are very very happy with that news.”

Mr Cameron’s father Phil added: “When this whole incident started we were looking at 25 years, we were hearing things like the death penalty.

“To get four years, it’s good. Four years we can work with, four years we can get clemency, and hopefully we’ll have him back very soon.”

Mrs Cameron also added that she hoped the prime minister would tackle the issue with the UAE president.

“We hope that he does tackle this full on,” she said. “The UAE president has the power to give clemency to the three boys, and I think it is important that he does considering the horrific torture all three sustained.”

Torture

The torture took place in the desert, it was claimed, where the men were initially taken after their arrest, and later in hotel rooms. Dubai police deny the allegations.

I could not defend myself from all the punches as my hands were handcuffed behind my back. Suneet Jeerh

In draft witness statements the men described what they say happened to them.

Mr Jeerh said: “There were two police officers in the car. The police officer in the driver’s seat immediately turned round and started punching me in the face.

“The police officer in the passenger seat then put the back of his seat right down so he could lean over and punch me. I could not defend myself from all the punches as my hands were handcuffed behind my back.

“I tried to protect myself by turning my head away to the window, so I was being mainly punched on the side of the head and the neck. This still hurt a lot.”

Mr Cameron said: “Another pulled a gun out and put it to my head. He told me I was going to jail for the rest of my life. I was scared because I was threatened with a gun and could hear Karl screaming. I just wanted it all to end so was trying to cooperate as much as possible.”

The absence of an independent medical examination remains a concern. David Cameron

Mr Williams said: “I remember that the police put a towel on my face so I could not see. They kept telling me I was going to die. I was so scared.

“Once I had been knocked to the ground, the police picked me up and put me on the bed. They pulled down my trousers, spread my legs and started to electrocute my testicles.

“It was unbelievably painful. I was so scared. Then they took off the towel and I could see that there was a gun pointed at my head. All I could think was that the gun in my face could go off if the policeman slipped, and it would kill me. I started to believe that I was going to die in that room.”

‘A concern’

David Cameron has already expressed concern about the treatment of the three men in a letter to Reprieve.

“The UK government takes all allegations of mistreatment very seriously,” the prime minister said. “We continue to press for evidence for a full, impartial and independent investigation into the allegations. The absence of an independent medical examination remains a concern.”

He continued: “During the state visit of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan there will be opportunities to raise a wide range of issues including concerns about this and other consular cases.

“We continue to request these cases are fully and independently investigated. I appreciate this must be an extremely difficult time for Mr Cameron, Mr Williams and Mr Jeerh and their families.”

Mr Williams, 26, and Mr Cameron, 25, are both from Wanstead, in north-east London, while Mr Jeerh, 25, is from Ilford, east London. The UAE embassy in London has refused to comment.