The most highly decorated Royal Marine to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan has been held in Dubai for seven months accused of spying, The Times can reveal.
The former Lance Corporal Matt Croucher, 40, who received the George Cross for bravery in Afghanistan, has had his passport taken off him and has been banned from leaving the UAE.
He was arrested in November last year and charged with “intentionally and illegally accessing a telecommunications network”. No further details were provided such as who he was accused of spying on, or allegedly on behalf of, although he was interrogated about his links to the UK Ministry of Defence. Croucher is a security consultant, normally based in the UK.
Croucher was put forward for the George Cross, the highest award for gallantry, after throwing himself on a Taliban tripwire grenade to save his comrades as part of a reconnaissance mission near Sangin in Helmand province, Afghanistan on February 9, 2008.
In a statement, the family said they were suffering from “immense stress” and the case was “made up and ridiculous”. They said: “We’re shocked at the set of circumstances which have played out over the last seven months. Matt was due to only be away for a couple of weeks, returning through Dubai after working in the Middle East on his way home.
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“We don’t understand why it’s taking the Dubai authorities so long to process this case, being constantly told it should be resolved in a week or two, a case we believe to be made up and ridiculous.”
They accused the foreign office of being “useless” in offering Croucher any assistance, saying they were “often making things worse with misinformation, telling him the case was formally concluded and would only take one to two months”.
The family’s MP prior to the election, Jess Phillips, was trying to assist, but due to the election was unable to do anything further until she was re-elected, they said.
“This has caused our family immense stress and we just hope this can be concluded at the earliest opportunity,” they said.
Croucher, from Solihull, near Birmingham, was arrested on November 4 and jailed, during which time he was forced to sleep on the floor because the prison was so overcrowded and ate a “primitive meal of rice and chicken twice a day with very unsanitary amenities”, a close friend said.
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The friend said Croucher was interrogated for six hours by Dubai’s police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) — a cross between the UK CID and MI5 — and was accused of being a spy.
He was questioned about his role within the UK’s Ministry of Defence and intelligence services and what relation he had with the British embassy, according to the friend, who is campaigning for his release.
They obtained a search warrant for where he was staying and retrieved an electronic device he claimed he used for security penetration testing in the course of his normal day-to-day security work.
He was subsequently jailed for four days before being released under investigation. It was understood there was insufficient evidence for the public prosecutor to progress with the charge.
However, the Dubai authorities confiscated his phone, passport and internet banking access device, which means he is stuck in the country with no money.
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According to close friends his ordeal began in October when he had been working in Qatar and Saudi Arabia and was stopping off in Dubai to meet friends on his way home to the UK.
After his release he was required to report to Al Barsha police station every week until March 27. He says he was repeatedly told his situation would be resolved the “next week”.
Croucher had previously lived in Dubai from 2014-21 and had worked with the authorities on security-related matters, including for those who questioned him.
“Unable to earn, access banking and having to fund his stay in Dubai, unable to leave (due to government enforced travel ban), has caused significant financial strain. This has also put a huge strain on his family who are left waiting in the UK with no answers or support.
“He was only due to be passing through the country for a few days to catch up with friends before returning to the UK,” the friend said.
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While serving in Afghanistan in 2008, Croucher felt a trip-wire against his leg and saw that he had activated a grenade when moving through a compound. He threw himself to the ground, and used his rucksack to pin the grenade to the floor, and tucked his legs up to his body. He was thrown some distance by the explosion, but due to the protection offered by his rucksack and body armour, suffered only a nose bleed, perforated ear drums and some disorientation.
The pack was ripped from his back by the explosion, and his body armour and helmet were pitted by grenade fragments. Of the other three members of his patrol, the rear man managed to take cover by retreating round the corner of a building and the patrol commander threw himself to ground, and received a superficial face wound from a grenade fragment. The final team member did not have time to react, and remained on his feet, and would have been within the lethal range of the grenade but for Croucher’s action.
Croucher is one of only 22 living recipients of the medal of which only 406 have been awarded.
Croucher was presented with the George Cross by Queen Elizabeth II at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace on October 30, 2008.
His detention in Dubai at this time could cause embarrassment for King Charles as it is likely that members of the Royal Family will meet the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum at Royal Ascot this month. The sheikh, a racing-horse owner, has also recently been at the centre of a human rights issue involving one of his daughters, Princess Latifa. She was kidnapped and detained in Dubai and only released after a global campaign.
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A FCDO spokesperson said: “We are supporting a British man in the UAE and are in contact with the local authorities”.
The UAE has been contacted for comment.