Emirates Flight Attendant Faces Jail For Attempting to Take Her Own Life After Her Husband Brutally Beat and Tortured Her

An Emirates flight attendant from Ireland faces the threat of being imprisoned in a notorious Dubai jail after being charged with attempting to take her own life after she was allegedly brutally beaten and tortured by her South African husband, who police let go.

28-year-old Tori Towey from Boyle in Co Roscommon, Ireland, is now stuck in Dubai, unable to return home after the local authorities slapped her with a travel ban as prosecutors pursue charges of consuming alcohol and suicide, which is still classed as a crime under the UAE’s opaque penal code.

Tori is now being helped by the campaign group Detained in Dubai, which helps expats and tourists caught up in Dubai’s confusing legal web. Radha Stirling, the CEO of Detained in Dubai has called on prosecutors to drop the charges and let Tori return home so that she can be with her family.

The Irish flight attendant moved to Dubai in April 2023 when she landed a coveted job with Emirates and quickly fell in love with a coworker from South Africa. After a whirlwind romance, the pair got married, but it didn’t take long for the relationship to turn sour.

Things started to come to head after a night out at McCaffreys Pub, a popular place for a night out for Emirates crew, where Tori’s husband had to be restrained by security staff after he started to cause ‘havoc’.

Police were called but Tori’s husband was simply sent home without any further intervention. Tori was ordered to go home with him.

Once they got home, it’s alleged that Tori’s husband started to brutally beat her, kicking and biting her, threatening her with a knife and repeatedly slamming her arm in a bathroom door in an attempt to break it.

Stirling says Tori’s husband threatened to kill her and tore up both of their passports before neighbours came to the rescue and got Tori to a hospital in the back of an ambulance.

Tori filed a police report against her husband and Emirates gave her some time off work to allow her to recover. During this time, Tori went to replace her passport but discovered that she had been slapped with a travel ban.

Tori attempted to fly home to Ireland but was unable to leave due to the travel ban and she eventually returned home to her husband. The first few days were peaceful but after drinking some wine, Tori’s husband suddenly accused her of having an affair.

Fearing that he would kill her, Tori ran to the bathroom and attempted to take her own life. The next thing she remembers is waking up in an ambulance.

But instead of taking her to a hospital, Tori was transported to the infamous Al Barsha police station where she was held for several hours. She has since been charged with consuming alcohol and attempted suicide. Her case is due to be heard in court on July 18.

“Tori’s experience is nothing short of tragic and quite frankly, she is lucky to be alive,” Stirling said after the story came to light. “It’s amazing that authorities did not intervene for Tori’s protection, given the state her body was in when she was hospitalised the first time.”

Stirling added: “Emirates Airlines, the Irish Embassy and the UAE medical and police services could certainly have done more to help Tori.”

“Worse than failing her, authorities in Dubai actually travel-banned her and kept her in the country when she was trying to get away. They put her in a hopeless position resulting in her attempt to kill herself to escape the imminent threat of assault and likely murder”.

Tori’s family hopes that by taking her story public, the Dubai authorities will bow to international pressure drop the charges against her and allow her to return home.

The Irish embassy is now providing consular assistance and officials have now arranged a lawyer for Tori after a high-level political intervention.

In 2020, an Emirates crew member from Britain was held for months in Dubai after being charged with possession of cannabis. Derrin Crawford was arrested after going on a date with a new acquaintance and going back to his apartment which was subsequently raided by police.

At the time, Detained in Dubai said Derrin was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Local media in the UAE have not reported Tori’s ordeal.