Mia O’Brien: Mum reveals why 23-year-old sentenced to life in Dubai
Mia O’Brien, a 23-year-old British law student from Huyton, Merseyside, has been sentenced to 25 years in a Dubai prison after authorities discovered 50 grams of cocaine in her apartment. Her devastated mother, Danielle McKenna, has spoken publicly for the first time about the circumstances surrounding her daughter’s arrest and imprisonment.
Mia had been studying law at Liverpool University and, according to Danielle, had fallen in with “the wrong so-called friends.” Last October, police raided her flat in Dubai and found the drugs “in one big chunk.” Alongside Mia, two others—a friend and that friend’s boyfriend—were also arrested and charged with dealing.
Despite pleading not guilty to intent to supply, Mia was found guilty after a one-day trial held entirely in Arabic. The verdict was later relayed to her through her lawyer, leaving her devastated. Danielle claims her daughter was not a drug user and insists she has been “caught up in a miscarriage of justice.”
Currently held in Al-Awir Central Prison, Mia faces dire living conditions. She reportedly shares a small cell with six other women, sleeping on a mattress on the floor. Her mother describes the prison as dangerous, with minimal staff presence, violence between inmates, and a lack of basic support.
“Mia is strong, but she is living in hell,” Danielle said. “She told me she feels like she has destroyed her life. She wanted to be a solicitor, and now that dream is gone.”
The young student has not seen her family since her arrest. She frequently tells her mother she misses her younger brothers and longs to come home. A GoFundMe campaign launched by the family to cover legal expenses was later taken down due to platform restrictions on funding criminal cases.
Danielle continues to fight for her daughter’s release, holding out hope for a successful appeal or clemency deal. For now, Mia remains behind bars in harsh conditions, her future uncertain.
