TRAPPED IN HELL
Emirates air hostess Tori Towey is charged with attempting suicide in Dubai after being brutally ‘attacked by husband’
Tori's passport has been blocked from use
AN Emirates air hostess has been charged with attempting suicide in Dubai after claiming she was brutally attacked by her husband at home.
Tori Towey says she suffered severe bruising and other injuries that required hospital treatment in the alleged attack.
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The 28-year-old, who works in the United Arab Emirates as an airline cabin crew member, then attempted to take her own life in the wake of the domestic violence assault.
Her husband was identified as her alleged attacker in the Irish parliament.
She survived but was taken to a police station where authorities charged Tori, from Co Roscommon, Ireland, with attempted suicide and alcohol cosumption.
Tori's passport was blocked from use, and she cannot return to Ireland.
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She is currently staying in a rented property in Dubai supported by her mum Caroline, who travelled to be with her daughter.
The young woman told the Irish Sun they are pleading with Ireland's president Simon Harris, the Taoiseach, to help them.
She said: “I’m glad I’m with my mother now but I don’t know what’s going to happen in court next week.
“I’m desperate to go home to Ireland and put all of this in the past. I’m asking the Taoiseach to please help us.”
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Tori’s mother Caroline added: “We are calling on our local representatives, the Department of Foreign Affairs, embassy and Taoiseach to please do everything to get my daughter home safely.
“She’s been through the worst time of her life and needs to come home with me and heal.”
The family are being assisted by the Detained In Dubai advocacy group.
"We are calling on Dubai authorities to urgently drop the charges against Tori, remove the travel ban and let her fly home to Ireland with her mother", said Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained In Dubai.
"She has been charged with attempted suicide and alcohol consumption", said Ms Stirling.
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"Strangely, the UAE has gone to great public relations efforts to promote alcohol as legal in the country. In reality, people are still regularly charged with alcohol consumption and possession.
"Tori's experience is nothing short of tragic and quite frankly, she is lucky to be alive."
Speaking to Sky News from her home in Co Roscommon, Tori's aunt Ann Flynn said: "She's doing her best.
"It's very stressful, it's stressful for all the family."
Tori's husband was named as her attacker by the Sinn Fein's leader May Lou McDonald in the Dail, Ireland's parliament.
She said: "“Following one particularly severe beating in which her husband repeatedly tried to break her arm, Tori escaped upstairs and she attempted to take her own life.
“Tori now faces charges in Dubai of attempted suicide and the abuse of alcohol. The system over there, rather than protecting this woman who is an Irish citizen, chose instead to detain her, to charge her. She’s now under the most incredible stress.
“I spoke to her this afternoon. Her mother Caroline has travelled to be with her. Tori wants to come home, simple as that. She’s a Roscommon woman. She wants to come home."
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She described her niece as "a beautiful young woman", who is "fun-loving and loved to travel".
Ms Flynn added: "She got the job of her dreams working for Emirates, and she could continue travelling with work."
"She loved Dubai and had a good network of friends there.
"It's an awful situation for any young person to find themselves in. The only thing we want to do is get her home as soon as possible."
Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald raised Ms Towey's case in the Irish Parliament on Tuesday afternoon.
Is attempting suicide a crime in Dubai?
By Sayan Bose, Foreign News Reporter
DUBAI is infamous for strict personal laws that see attempted suicide as a criminal offence.
Anyone found to attempt suicide - or those who survive - can face a potential sentence of up to six months.
Although people who attempt suicide are rarely detained, they are exposed to potential prosecutions by the country's court system.
In matters of attempting suicide, discretion remains with the court whether to convict a person or send them to mental institutions for further help.
And any person found assisting another person to commit suicide by any means can be charged and prosecuted, following an unspecified but strict jail term.
Ms McDonald told Dail Eireann that Ms Towey has been the victim of domestic violence and is subject to a travel ban over alleged charges.
She said she had spoken to Ms Towey, and that the 28-year-old's mother had travelled to Dubai to be with her.
"Tori wants to come home, simple as that. She is a Roscommon woman and she wants to come home," she said.
"I am asking now, as a matter of absolute urgency, that we have a statement from this House, that you intervene Taoiseach, that the ambassador is called and that it is made absolutely plain to the authorities of Dubai that no woman should be treated in this way, and an Irish citizen, an Irish woman will not be treated in this way."
Ms McDonald urged the Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris to "urgently intervene" in the case and ensure that Ms Towey could return to Ireland.
Irish premier Simon Harris has said he will work to intervene in the shocking case.
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Booze laws in Dubai
By Sayan Bose, Foreign News Reporter
JUST like any other Arab nation, the UAE also has strict laws around the consumption of alcohol.
In Dubai, anyone caught drinking alcohol in public places could face potential prosecution as well as jail time for up to six months.
A hefty fine of £1,000 can also be issued if a person is found intoxicated in public places.
Consumption of liquor and alcoholic beverages is only permitted inside designated bars and restaurants with valid licenses.
People can consume booze inside private properties as well, however, they would a valid licence to purchase alcohol.
Although it has become significantly easier to obtain such a licence in Dubai in recent times.
Mr Harris responded by saying he was not aware of Ms Towey's case and thanked Ms McDonald for bringing it to his attention and that of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Micheal Martin.
He pledged to work "to intervene and see how we can support an Irish citizen in what sounds to be, based on what you tell me, the most appalling circumstances".
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
You're Not Alone
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let’s all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You’re Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
- Heads Together,www.headstogether.org.uk
- HUMEN www.wearehumen.org
- Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans,www.samaritans.org, 116 123