‘Please help me’ begs flight attendant Tori Towey arrested for ‘attempted suicide’ in Dubai after ‘attack by husband’
THE FAMILY of detained Emirates air hostess has begged the Irish government for help.
Tori Towey, 28, was charged with attempting suicide in Dubai after claiming she was attacked by her husband at their home.
She was also charged for alcohol consumption.
Tori, who is supported by her mother in Dubai, said they were 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.
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 28-year-old United Arab Emirates cabin crew member from Co Roscommon, Ireland has been detained in Dubai after her passport was taken off her.
Tori’s husband was named as her attacker by the Sinn Fein’s leader May Lou McDonald in the Dail, Ireland’s parliament.
The young woman, who is supported by her mother in Dubai, said they were 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.
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.”
Speaking to Sky News from her home in Co Roscommon, Tori’s aunt Ann Flynn said: “She’s doing her best.
“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.”
Ms Flynn continued: “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.
The family are being assisted by the Detained In Dubai advocacy group.
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.
CEO of Detained In Dubai Radha Stirling said: “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.”
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.
Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald raised Ms Towey’s case in the Irish Parliament on Tuesday afternoon.
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.
“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.
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”.
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