British TikTok influencer’s mother says daughter was "terrified" after fatal stabbing in Dubai
The mother of a British TikTok influencer who has been charged with murdering her lover in Dubai has revealed her daughter was “terrified” in a phone call.
As reported by The Telegraph, Brooke George, 22, is accused of stabbing William Treeby, 26, with a kitchen knife in the United Arab Emirates after allegedly being abused by him.
The former John Lewis shop assistant from Gravesend, Kent, has been charged with premeditated murder and faces the death penalty if convicted.
She claims she acted in self-defence after Mr Treeby, whom she met on Facebook, punched her in the face while withholding her passport.
Her mother, Thereza George, 55, said her daughter was “terrified” when she called home from the UAE in the hours after the fatal incident.
She said her daughter initially believed Mr Treeby to be the man of her “dreams” after visiting him in Dubai for two and a half weeks last month.
Thereza said that after her daughter returned to Dubai the next week, she called home the day before the incident and “wasn’t herself”.
Crying uncontrollably
“She was quieter than usual but wouldn’t tell me why,” she told The Sun. “That evening they went to a bar in Dubai. When I spoke to Brooke right after the incident, she was absolutely terrified.
“I have never seen my daughter so frightened. She was crying uncontrollably. I could see one of her eyes was badly swollen and beginning to close.
“As Brooke’s mother, I am deeply concerned for her welfare. The daughter I spoke to that night was utterly terrified. I firmly believe she was trying desperately to get home and away from whatever had happened to her.”
Ms George claims she booked a flight home after being attacked by Mr Treeby, only to discover that he was withholding her passport.
She claims that after she begged for her passport back, he punched her in the face and she stabbed him with a kitchen knife in self-defence.
Ms George was arrested at the airport on June 22 when she tried to flee the UAE, her family said. The influencer was forced to strip naked in front of male officers at Bur Dubai police station, describing the experience as “deeply humiliating and distressing”, The Sun reported.
Detained in Dubai, a human rights group, claimed she received little explanation of the proceedings because of the language barrier and had been deprived of access to her embassy and forced to make statements in the absence of a lawyer.
Radha Stirling, the group’s chief executive, said authorities needed to treat her as a “domestic violence survivor”.
She said: “Brooke maintains she acted in genuine fear for her safety after a violent assault.
“We will ensure her rights are protected and that she receives a fair trial.”
Mr Treeby’s family said they are “heartbroken” by his death and paid tribute to him.
His mother Karen Treeby said on social media: “My darling son, I’m broken. Rest in forever peace, my Bill. You will be so missed and loved by us all. We will never forget you and will keep your memory alive always.”
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are in touch with a British woman detained in the UAE. We are supporting her family and are in contact with the local authorities.”
Politics Editor
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