Football coach jailed for 25 years in Dubai over CBD vape oil

esmufc07

Brad
Scout
Joined
Aug 7, 2007
Messages
49,856
Location
Lake Jonathan Creek
A British football coach has been jailed for 25 years in Dubai after four bottles of vape liquid containing cannabis oil were found in his car.

Billy Hood from Notting Hill, west London, was arrested on 31 January, shortly after moving to the country.

The 24-year-old claims he was forced to sign a confession written in Arabic despite not speaking the language.

The Foreign Office said it was "giving consular support to a British man who has been imprisoned" in Dubai.

Mr Hood, who played semi-professional football for Kensington and Ealing Borough FC, told campaign group Detained in Dubai police had unexpectedly turned up and demanded to search his home and car.

He told the group he was taken to a "police station and kept in an isolation cell for 14 days without any hygiene products".

Mr Hood claimed the oil was left by a friend who had been visiting from England two weeks earlier.

But he claimed he was forced to sign a confession after being pressured by local law enforcement.

This month he was convicted by a court of drug trafficking with intent to supply.

Vaping cannabidiol (CBD) oil is legal in the UK and has become extremely popular - typically used to relieve pain, anxiety or stress.

The Foreign Office advise there is a "zero-tolerance for drugs-related offences" in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

"Forced and coerced confessions are commonplace in Dubai," said Radha Stirling, chief executive of Detained in Dubai, who are representing the family.

Sentences for drug trafficking can include the death penalty and possession of even the smallest amount of illegal drugs can lead to a minimum four-year jail sentence.

In a statement to his lawyers Mr Hood said: "I have always had a zero-tolerance on any drugs or illegal substances.

"For me to be accused of promoting and selling drugs in a country that has the same beliefs and values as me is very upsetting as it affects my future."

Mr Hood's family are appealing to the UK and UAE government to intervene in the case.

Mr Hood's mother Breda said: "I have hidden myself away, crying and crying when I imagine what our sweet boy is going through.

"It is the worst stress I've ever been through and I feel helpless."

The UAE embassy has been approached for comment
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-58892160
 

Abizzz

Full Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2014
Messages
7,614
Poor fella looking at the best years of his life in prison only for moving to a medieval country. I wish we'd stop treating them as something else than that only because they have $.
 

esmufc07

Brad
Scout
Joined
Aug 7, 2007
Messages
49,856
Location
Lake Jonathan Creek
Poor fella looking at the best years of his life in prison only for moving to a medieval country. I wish we'd stop treating them as something else than that only because they have $.
I’ve never understood the appeal of Dubai personally. This is a really draconian sentence, I can only hope our foreign office applies some diplomatic pressure to have it significantly reduced or expunged, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Can’t even begin to imagine how he must be feeling.
 

altodevil

Odds winner of 'Odds or Evens 2023/2024'
Joined
Oct 16, 2013
Messages
17,350
Faster we move on from oil for energy, the faster these feckers can rot.
 

Paxi

Dagestani MMA Boiled Egg Expert
Joined
Mar 4, 2017
Messages
27,678
Ridiculous but I suppose they’re not chopping his head off so that’s a plus.
 

Spoony

The People's President
Joined
Oct 27, 2001
Messages
63,107
Location
eerF Palestine.
Possibly, but he allowed the police to check his car and he offered a drugs test (which came back negative). None of his fingerprints were found on any of the stuff either.

So why was his car checked in the first place?
 

Abizzz

Full Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2014
Messages
7,614
Dubai is shit but it's a possibility that our man isn't innocent.
I don't even care.

If you chop someones hand off for a parking ticket you're no better than a criminal either. Same principal here.
 

Paxi

Dagestani MMA Boiled Egg Expert
Joined
Mar 4, 2017
Messages
27,678
Dubai is shit but it's a possibility that our man isn't innocent.
Guilty of what, having some oil? Even if it’s full spectrum CBD oil, this is absolutely fecking ridiculous.
 

ivaldo

Mediocre Horse Whisperer, s'up wid chew?
Joined
Nov 15, 2012
Messages
28,699
Dubai is shit but it's a possibility that our man isn't innocent.
He had a WhatsApp message from his friend stating he had left his CBD oil in the car and none of his prints were on the bottles. You might say it doesn't prove his innocence, but it at least deserves investigating.
 

Baneofthegame

Full Member
Joined
May 15, 2019
Messages
2,995
He had a WhatsApp message from his friend stating he had left his CBD oil in the car and none of his prints were on the bottles. You might say it doesn't prove his innocence, but it at least deserves investigating.
That’s actually worse, his friend bringing them in the first place and now this guy is potentially spending 25 years in jail.

Pretty sure he is also claiming that they made him stay in a cell for 14 days isolated with no sanitary products and also made him sign a confession that was in Arabic.
 

11101

Full Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2014
Messages
21,202
There's no chance of a fair trial in these backward countries. Best hope is the Foreign Office apply some pressure and they quietly let him out in a few months.
 

Paxi

Dagestani MMA Boiled Egg Expert
Joined
Mar 4, 2017
Messages
27,678
It would be good if footballers did something about it but nah they’ll be off to Dubai next opportunity they get.
 

fergieisold

New Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2008
Messages
7,122
Location
Saddleworth (home) Manchester (work)
I’ve never understood the appeal of Dubai personally. This is a really draconian sentence, I can only hope our foreign office applies some diplomatic pressure to have it significantly reduced or expunged, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Can’t even begin to imagine how he must be feeling.
Money usually - I know of a few uni friends who moved over there presumably for tax free high wages. Work a few years then come back financially in a great position.
 

JPRouve

can't stop thinking about balls - NOT deflategate
Scout
Joined
Jan 31, 2014
Messages
65,353
Location
France
UAE is a strange one. I used to think that Gulf countries were roughly the same but apparently UAE is by some distance the worst in all aspects and they get away with it because they are on Saudi Arabia side.
 

golden_blunder

Site admin. Manchester United fan
Staff
Joined
Jun 1, 2000
Messages
119,442
Location
Dublin, Ireland
If it’s such a forbidden item, what was his mate doing with 4 bottles and leaving them in his car?
wheb people go to countries like this they should not assume the law will be anywhere near as lenient as where they come from
 

JPRouve

can't stop thinking about balls - NOT deflategate
Scout
Joined
Jan 31, 2014
Messages
65,353
Location
France
If it’s such a forbidden item, what was his mate doing with 4 bottles and leaving them in his car?
wheb people go to countries like this they should not assume the law will be anywhere near as lenient as where they come from
That's the thing that bothers me, it doesn't matter if you agree with a law like this one, it's not difficult to not bring drugs with you to a foreign country. His friend is not really a friend.
 

Pogue Mahone

The caf's Camus.
Joined
Feb 22, 2006
Messages
133,348
Location
"like a man in silk pyjamas shooting pigeons
That's the thing that bothers me, it doesn't matter if you agree with a law like this one, it's not difficult to not bring drugs with you to a foreign country. His friend is not really a friend.
Only two options here really. His friend is a fecking moron. Or this guy is a fecking moron and using his friend as a cover story.
 

Abizzz

Full Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2014
Messages
7,614
Yeah but do morons deserve 25 years for being comparatively harmless morons?

It doesn't matter whether one agrees with the law or doesn't but one can certainly form an opinion about a country based on that country's laws. I don't really care if that dude or his friend is a brainless moron, I do care that we do business and take this medieval society's money.
 
Last edited:

Deery

Dreary
Joined
May 21, 2019
Messages
18,590
It’s funny Dubai are so against drugs but absolutely fine with drug dealers laundering their money through Dubai to change it into gold.

Also friends a dick!
 

Andy_Cole

Full Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2009
Messages
7,856
Location
Manchester
nah they chop your hand off for theft
Not saying it’s right but Dubai/ UAE is insanely safe for this system. My uncle has left his £50k Rolex at a bar and picked it up the next day no issues.

Laws like this in UK would make it safer.
 

11101

Full Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2014
Messages
21,202
But raiding his house and searching his car... why would they do that?
He's upset somebody. Police generally turn a blind eye to (white) foreigners unless they're told to do otherwise.
 

Adisa

likes to take afvanadva wothowi doubt
Joined
Nov 28, 2014
Messages
50,311
Location
Birmingham
You should be well aware of the risks living in a backward country. He and his friend are idiots.