Stockport army veteran arrested and imprisoned in Abu Dhabi following mental health episode

On January 28th, Steve Long from Stockport was arrested and detained in Abu Dhabi after suffering from a paranoid breakdown as he was boarding his flight home.

And now, his family have been ordered to pay more than £100,000 by April 6th or see him imprisoned with no chance of returning home.

Steve, who has previously served in the army with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and later as a paramedic for the North West Ambulance Service, had been in the UAE’s capital city to visit a friend.

However, Steve’s family says his mental health began to decline in the days leading up to his journey home, something they credit to undiagnosed PTSD triggered by recent drone attacks targeting airports across the city. 

Clare Carrie

While in Abu Dhabi International Airport ahead of his journey home, Steve allegedly became paranoid about a bomb being onboard his Etihad Airways flight, something his family say stems back to experiences in the army while on tours in war zones such as Bosnia and Iraq. 

However, airport staff called the police, who arrested Steve and held him in police custody for three days, where he developed kidney problems as a result of dehydration and poor living conditions.

Steve’s sister Clare Carrie, who flew out to Abu Dhabi alongside his wife the day after the incident unfolded, said she was horrified to see the state her brother was in.

Clare told Proper Manchester: “As soon as I saw him, it was clear to me that he was experiencing a psychotic episode and thought he was back in the army and in dangerous war zones. I’m certain that’s why he was mentioning bombs at the airport.

Ralf Roletschek / Wikimedia Commons

“He was also physically unwell. I begged the authorities and the judge to get him to a hospital, but they wouldn’t comply. I even called an ambulance myself to see if any medical professionals would help him, but they wouldn’t come out.

“I genuinely thought he was going to die. He has no history of mental illness or drug abuse, this has all come on completely out of the blue.”

The next day, Steve was placed in front of the judge, handcuffed, distressed and with no legal representation, and was ordered to either pay a fine of 500,000 UAED (£103,000) or be sent to prison. 

Clare and Steve’s wife immediately appealed the judge’s decision and even provided two medical reports to say he lacked responsibility for his actions due to mental health. 

However, they lost the appeal. 

Clare Carrie

Steve was transferred to the prison this morning (March 9th), where Clare is concerned his medication is being withheld. 

Worried for her brother’s chances of survival behind bars, she has now been left with no choice but to take Steve’s situation public, which has until now been dealt privately amongst the family. 

The family are also yet to receive any help from the UK government, though the British Embassy in Dubai have been working tirelessly from the beginning, with a spokesperson saying they are providing ‘consular assistance’.

Clare explained: “We didn’t want to make this a public thing, but now we feel we have no choice. We’re at the point where we need all the help we can get. 

Clare Carrie

“The government is supposedly aware of Steve’s situation, I told our local MP William Wragg about it and he said he had forwarded our email to the Home Office, but that’s all I’ve heard.”

In the meantime, Clare has set up a GoFundMe to help pay for the £103,000 fine. You can visit the fundraiser and donate here.

Under Dubai criminal law unless a fine can be paid the person will be jailed.

The United Arab Emirates’ Government Portal also claims that the UAE Government is ‘regularly undertaking new measures to address mental health issues and reduce the stigma associated with it’.

The website states: “It [UAE government] has come up with many initiatives for Emiratis and expatriates by giving them access to mental health services and support as required.”