The mother of a British man accused of drug offences in Dubai has told of his appalling treatment and torture by police.
A Dubai judge is due to give a verdict today in the trial of Grant Cameron and fellow Britons Suneet Jeerh and Karl Williams who all deny the charges against them.
Yesterday, ahead of a state visit to Britain by the president of the UAE, David Cameron told of his ‘concern’ over the treatment of the three men.
David Cameron has spoken about his 'concern' over the treatment of the three men while in custody
In a letter, the Prime Minister wrote: ‘Our concerns about the allegations of torture have been repeatedly raised with the Emirati authorities, including by the Foreign Office and [Foreign Office minister] Alastair Burt.
‘The absence of an independent medical examination remains a concern. We continue to press for evidence of a full, impartial and independent investigation.’
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The human rights charity Reprieve said the charges should have been dropped and the men - who went on trial in February - should be released because of the torture allegations.
The three men, who are charged with possessing, taking and intending to distribute illegal drugs, were arrested on holiday in August after police said they found a quantity of synthetic cannabis known as “spice” in their car.
Police in the country have denied any wrongdoing but Tracy Cameron described her son’s ‘terrifying ordeal’ and said she sincerely believed he was going to die.
There have been allegations of torture, including electric shock and beatings, from the police in Dubai (pictured)
She said: ‘They were taken back to their hotel room, they were beaten in their hotel room, it does appear they were separated from each other and each taken to a different room.
‘Karl was laid out on the bed, his trousers were stripped down and electric shocks were administered to his testicles while he was blindfolded.
‘I believe all boys had guns held to their head - they were told they were going to die.
‘Grant sustained electric shocks to his torso and I believe Suneet had shocks administered to him to the back of his head and his back.’
She said all the men were pressured into signing statements written in Arabic which they did not understand.
When her son phoned and told her of the torture, Mrs Cameron said she felt ‘beside myself, sheer horror, terror, just complete and utter meltdown really’.
‘Your son being arrested so far away from home is challenge enough to deal with but, once he told us how he’d been treated, I can only describe it as something from a horror story.’
The Foreign Office has called for a full, independent and impartial inquiry into the allegations and says it has raised them with “very senior officials” in the United Arab Emirates.
A spokeswoman for Reprieve said torture by Dubai police was ‘hugely common’ and the charity believed the men’s ‘extremely plausible’ account, which she said had been backed up by notes from Foreign Office staff who had visited the men and documented their injuries.
However, Doctor Abdul-Kallek Abdulla, a professor of political science in the UAE, told BBC Radio Five Live there was no proof to support the torture claims and ‘absolutely no truth’ to the allegations heard in the British media.
He said: ‘You could say whatever you want but I go by official statements. The UAE is not a country which practices these things.’
The three men were arrested in Dubai in July last year after being accused of drug offences.The three were apparently subjected to torture by police, including electric shocks and beatings, resulting in a broken hand for Mr Williams.
If the judge finds them guilty, they face at least 15 years in jail.