Mum claims miscarriage of justice after 23-year-old law student gets Dubai “life” sentence
A 23-year-old Liverpool student has been jailed for 25 years in Dubai after police found Class A drugs in an apartment. Mia O’Brien, from Huyton, was convicted after a day-long hearing on 25 July and fined £100,000. Her family says she is shattered by the verdict and “feels she has destroyed her life”, having hoped to become a lawyer or solicitor.
O’Brien, a former University of Liverpool law student, travelled to the United Arab Emirates last October. While in Dubai, authorities discovered 50 grams of cocaine in an apartment where she was staying. She pleaded not guilty to drug offences but was convicted by a judge following the brief hearing. She is now held in Dubai Central Prison, facing a 25-year term commonly described as a life sentence, according to her family.
Her mother, Danielle McKenna, has spoken out in anguished terms, insisting her daughter is innocent and a victim of a “miscarriage of justice.” She says O’Brien is living through “horrendous” conditions and is showing strength, but privately is “absolutely devastated”. The family say none of them has seen Mia since last October.
Embed from Getty ImagesMcKenna paints a picture of a young woman with ambitions in law who, in her view, fell in with the wrong crowd. She blames “wrong so-called friends” for a “stupid mistake” and stresses her daughter “has never been in trouble and is not a drug taker.” She believes others involved “have a lot to answer for”, adding that two other people present — her friend and the friend’s boyfriend — have been charged with drug dealing. O’Brien, she says, was “caught up in it”.
Detailing the moment the news sank in, McKenna recalls her daughter crying on the phone and begging forgiveness. “She was crying on the phone and saying, ‘Oh mum – please forgive me’.” The mother’s account underlines the raw shock that followed: “I was so shocked and heartbroken.” She insists she does not believe Mia intended to sell drugs or smuggle them, and that her daughter paid for her own flight from savings.
The family’s struggle now extends beyond the courtroom. They launched a GoFundMe to help cover legal and travel costs. The fundraiser — which sought £1,600 and raised just under £700 — was later deleted. McKenna then posted a follow-up note thanking those who donated, saying funds would support Mia directly, cover potential legal fees and help relatives travel to Dubai. “None of us have seen Mia since last October,” she wrote.
The street value of the drugs found — estimated at around £2,500 in the UK — has only deepened the family’s conviction that Mia was not involved in a wider supply operation. They say she went to Dubai to visit a friend and the friend’s boyfriend, not to engage in crime. Nevertheless, the consequences are severe: a long stint in a foreign prison far from home, plus the £100,000 penalty set by the court.
O’Brien now shares a cell with other inmates, according to her mother, who describes the experience as a “living hell”. The family say an appeal is due in the coming weeks, while the court fine remains unpaid. It is unclear whether the full 25 years will be served or whether parole is possible; for now, the reality is the same — a young woman’s future on hold, and a family pleading for mercy.
McKenna’s message, amid grief and fury, is stark: her daughter made a mistake, but does not deserve a lifetime behind bars. As they brace for the appeal, the family is appealing for support and understanding — and for a chance to bring Mia home