Wife of British grandfather facing jail in Dubai fears for his heart condition

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The spouse of a British grandfather mentioned to be facing jail in Dubai after asking partying neighbours to quieten down has spoken out about her fears for her husband’s heart condition.

Ian MacKeller, 75, travelled to the UAE with his spouse Carol, 71, through the festive interval to go to their daughter and babysit her younger baby.

When his daughter’s neighbours hosted a New Year’s Eve celebration, Mr MacKeller, of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, mentioned he went to ask the partygoers to be aware of noise.

He claimed he now stands accused of trespass after the host filed a police report towards him, leaving him stranded in the nation because of ongoing investigations.

An anxious Mrs Mackellar fears for her husband’s well being, together with a heart difficulty. She informed the BBC: “I am very worried about his state of health and mind. He’s very stressed, and he’s worried about me.”

She added: “We have no idea when Ian will be allowed to come home. The family are all very distressed.”

Describing Mr Mackellar as a “placid man” and “devoted dad and husband”, she mentioned: “We have been married for 49 years and have never really been apart. I just want him home.”

She described the incident on 1 January as involving “no evil intent” as she expressed her hopes authorities in Dubai would look “favourably” on the case.

Mrs Mackellar mentioned her husband merely went to have a “neighbour-to-neighbour” dialog to ask the partygoers to show the music down a bit. “The music was like being in a nightclub several doors down, it was bouncing,” she mentioned. But some friends grew to become “aggressive”, she claimed, with one particular person even throwing a drink.

A UK Foreign Office spokesperson confirmed to The Independent: “We are providing consular assistance to a British man in Dubai.”

The household had initially messaged the neighbour at 1am, requesting they flip the music down – however it started to get louder, they claimed.

Mr MacKeller visited the neighbour to ask them to cool down, taking his toddler granddaughter with him to permit his daughter to sleep, as she was anticipated to work in the early hours of the morning.

He knocked, however after no one answered the door, Mr MacKeller seen an open facet path resulting in the backyard, the place friends have been mingling.

Mr MacKeller mentioned he requested if friends may transfer the celebration indoors – however claimed they started to push him and shout at him, knocking his granddaughter’s bottle to the bottom. Some partygoers tried to intervene, advising Ian to depart.

However, as he made his method to the road, he alleged the host approached him, shouting loudly – and even throwing her drink over Mr MacKeller and the child.

Mr MacKeller described her actions as “unacceptable” and was wanting to report the incident to the police, however his daughter refused, nervous to trigger pressure together with her neighbours.

Mrs Mackellar mentioned the police confirmed up at their door two days later, informing them of the trespass grievance, with Mr MacKeller now facing a number of years in jail.

He was scheduled to return to Scotland on 10 January, however now stays indefinitely in the UAE, separated from his household and unable to obtain medical therapy.

Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, is working with Andrew Bowie, MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, to set Mr MacKeller free.

She mentioned: “This is a very sad situation. Nobody would ever imagine that a polite request to turn the music down would result in a travel ban and criminal prosecution. Again and again, we are reminded that a simple trip to Dubai can indeed be a one-way ticket. If the case isn’t dropped, Ian will likely end up in prisons notorious for human rights violations, and he simply doesn’t deserve it.”

Ms Stirling defined that it’s “standard practice” in Dubai to preemptively file a police report when in danger of being reported and “manipulate” the system. She mentioned: “The prosecution tends to side with whoever makes the first police report, so if someone is at risk of being reported themselves, they will quickly file against the actual victim. This is how people familiar with Dubai justice manipulate the system to their advantage.

“It is commonplace for foreigners in this situation to offer financial compensation to their accuser in order to drop the case.”

Calling for authorities in Dubai to crackdown on this “blatant abuse” of the felony justice system, she mentioned: “The practice is systemic and will require significant legislative change to stamp it out completely.

“It’s imperative that parliamentary representatives support their constituents where they face injustice. We’re seeing more and more MPs demanding action from the FCDO and foreign ministry counterparts in countries like the UAE, Qatar and Saudi.”

The Independent has approached the Government of Dubai Media Office for remark.