By Katy Hallam,Tim Hanlon
Copyright birminghammail
A grandfather claims he “hasn’t eaten for four days” after being left destitute and stranded in Dubai by the justice system over a crime he was cleared of a decade ago. John Murphy, 59, who served in the British armed forces before establishing a life in the UAE, was detained ten years ago over accusations of being abusive to hotel security staff. His solicitors say he should have been released but he was imprisoned whilst awaiting trial, and his landlord then took legal action against him for rental debts that accumulated during his incarceration. Read more Dog groomer ‘immediately dismissed’ after owner watches ‘heartbreaking’ incident on CCTV His possessions were confiscated, a travel prohibition enforced, and his passport retained which has meant for nearly a decade he has been stuck in Dubai, unable to work, unable to depart, and now ”literally starving”, solicitors say. His legal representatives say he’s been compelled to sleep on public transport and wash in shopping centre lavatories. “I haven’t eaten in four days,” Mr Murphy said in a message sent from Dubai, reports the Mirror . “I’ve been on the streets for three weeks. I try to ride the metro all day to rest, but security chase me away. “I wash in mall toilets, I’ve been in the same clothes for weeks, and my health is failing. “I need urgent cancer treatment and dental care, but I have nowhere to turn.” Despite homelessness being against the law in the UAE, when John tried to hand himself in to authorities, officers declined to detain him. He now finds himself sleeping rough on public transport, trapped in an impossible situation. “This is outrageous,” said Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai. “John was found innocent, yet 10 years later he is starving on the streets, denied cancer treatment, food, or shelter. “This is the direct result of a system that criminalises debt and traps people in a cycle of poverty and despair. “They won’t let him leave, and they won’t even arrest him. He is being left to die in plain sight.” A mate of John’s has set up a GoFundMe campaign and made direct pleas to both the British and Irish embassies for assistance. So far, neither has managed to secure his freedom. “The Trump administration successfully repatriated a number of American citizens from the UAE,” Mr Stirling added. “It is disappointing that Britain and Ireland have not stepped in to save John Murphy. “He is a veteran, a grandfather, and he has already suffered enough. The Irish and British governments must act now.” The Mirror has contacted the Foreign Office for comment.
