KNOWN as Dubai’s Alcatraz, inmates housed in Al Awir Central Prison can expect lice-ridden, overcrowded jail cells and, if former British prisoners are to be believed, even risk torture and gang rape during their time behind bars.
The latest high-profile is , better known as the husband of , who went mysteriously missing for a fortnight before she revealed he had called her from the notorious facility, alleging he had been arrested on suspicion of espionage.
Katie Price’s husband Lee Andrews is the latest high-profile prisoner in the jail Credit: mistraesthetics/Instagram
Dubai’s Al-Awir central prison has been described as ‘dirty and horrible’ Credit: AFP
British inmates have claimed they were tourtured and attacked by other prisoners Credit: AFP
Brit Karl Williams spent time in the prison after being arrested on a lads holiday Credit: BBC
Thought to have been arrested on May 14 after deliberately keeping a low profile, The Sun has reported Lee needs to pay a four figure fine before he can be released on Monday and it’s likely he will be desperate to leave if previous inmate’s accounts are anything to go by,
“I saw men get stabbed in the neck and others sliced down their faces,” wrote dad in his memoir Surviving a Dubai Drugs Bust, in allegations denied by Dubai’s authorities about the year he spent in the “dirty and horrible” jail back in 2012.
“Blood splattered every surface as prisoner after prisoner was sliced.
“They pulled down my trousers, spread my legs and started to electrocute my testicles,” added the council worker, revealing his genitals were electrocuted with a cattle prod after he was arrested for having drugs in his hire car, an offence for which he was later pardoned.
“It was unbelievably painful. I was so scared.
“I started to believe that I was going to die in that room.”
A million miles away from the glittering beachfront skyscrapers is known for, the large jail on the outskirts of the city is said to be home to international cartel boss Daniel Kinahan , who was arrested in April and faces extradition back to his home country of Ireland.
The mob boss is known to have commanded a billion dollar empire from the but his luxury lifestyle is on hold – between 14 and 20 inmates are thought to share cells in the overcrowded prison, alleged by Karl to be ruled by Russian gangsters who use HIV-positive inmates to rape others as a form of punishment.
Last year, 23-year-old was given a life sentence in Dubai after 50 grams of cocaine was found in her apartment and is also said to be living in Al Awir, where men and women are caged separately.
And in 2014 Businessman in Dubai for fraud, claiming he had been set up.
Overcrowded cells
Mia O’Brien, 23, was jailed after 50 grams of cocaine were found in her hotel room Credit: Pixel8000
David Haigh claims he was tortured and sexually assaulted while in the prison Credit: AP:Associated Press
The former managing director spent time in three of the country’s prisons including Al Awir and said horrific violence and sexual abuse was commonplace.
“I went from having every boy’s dream of running a football club and being on top of the world to sleeping on a concrete floor and being tortured, tasered and raped,” he told The Sun.
“You would be regularly hit over the head while waiting in lines by guards.
“I saved this long piece of material so that I could hang myself because I didn’t think I would get out.”
David will never forget the stench and the dirt he claims he was forced to live in, with his “concrete box” of a cell meant for four people housing up to 20 inmates.
“There was no air conditioning, no functioning toilets, showers or toilet paper, there was just a hole in the floor to go to the bathroom,” he said.
“The mattresses were dirty, lice-infested and never washed.
“Dirty doesn’t do it justice.
“You can imagine with the heat how disgusting it was.”
Blocked from seing loved ones
In a BBC programme about Karl Williams’ expereince they recreated how he claimed the loos were Credit: BBC
Albert Douglas says he saw other prisoners being starved and raped Credit: Paul Tonge
Zara Jayne Moisey ended up jailed for sex outside of marraige afte reporting a rape Credit: Collect
Quincy Promes also spent time in Al Awir Central Prison Credit: Getty
, 32, played international football for before a spectacular fall from grace which saw him jailed for six years in Dubai in 2024 for his role in a cocaine smuggling conspiracy.
Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf described harsh conditions including claims prisoners being forced to shave their heads or forfeit TV privileges.
More Brits who have spent time there say facilities including the and library have waiting lists of several months to use, with authorities also blocking visits by loved ones.
who was jailed in Dubai over debts that weren’t his, claimed in an interview withThe Sun in 2021 that he had witnessed prisoners being starved, raped and tortured at Al Awir.
Timeline of Katie and Lee's romance
January
Katie married Lee Andrews just weeks after splitting from JJ Slater. She revealed they met in person on 21 January – four days before the wedding – after meeting online.
Days later Katie returned to the UK alone and speculation Lee was unable to leave Dubai due to a travel ban started, with it claimed he ‘took out a £200k loan in an ex-girlfriend’s name’ – something he’s repeatedly denied.
February
Lee continued to refute claims of a travel ban and insisted he and Katie would be going on their honeymoon. But instead she returned to Dubai with pal Kerry Katona and her boyfriend Paolo Margaglione.
The Sun later revealed Lee punched Paolo during a bust-up during the holiday.
Katie claimed she was pregnant with Lee’s child during a bitter social media attack on his ex Alana Percival.
The couple tied the knot for a second time on 22 February, after it was revealed their first wedding wasn’t legally binding.
After days of speculation, Katie confirmed she was not pregnant but insisted she would be “soon”.
Katie later returned to the UK to face her family following reports they were “furious” and seriously concerned about her relationship with Lee.
March
Katie showed off a tattoo tribute to Lee, getting his name etched on her wedding finger. He got her eldest son Harvey’s name tattooed on his hand – despite having never met him.
She later flaunted her huge new engagement ring from Lee after rumours swirled that the first one he’d given her was the same ring used to propose to his ex wife Dina Taji.
April
Katie hinted that Lee does have a travel ban when asked by her sister on their podcast.
She said: “Do you know what? Everyone has said to me you can get a travel ban over anything in Dubai.”
Days later Katie revealed a shocking tattoo reading ‘owned by Lee’ on her ribcage.
May
Katie was left humiliated when Lee was once again a no-show in the UK, forcing her to face a live GMB interview solo.
It was claimed that he’d been detained in Dubai, with Susanna Reid and telling how they had approached the to see if Lee had a travel ban.
They said they had been informed they had “supported a British man detained in the ”.
She later slammed him for “making her look like a d**k”.
In a shocking twist, Katie took to social media days later to claim Lee had been “kidnapped” and confessed she hadn’t heard from him for three days.
Explaining the police could not find any record of him being detained, she insisted he was a “missing person” and revealed the last time she spoke to him, he had “ties around his hand and was in a van” with a “hood over his head”.
The Sun then revealed Lee had been officially declared a “missing person”, after a report was lodged by his family at the British Embassy in .
The Sun revalled Katie had finally heard from Lee after he phoned her from Al Awir Central Prison. She believes he’ll be released on Monday.
Albert spent nearly five years in the city’s prison system, claiming guards had burned off the private parts of a prisoner stationed in the bunk below him, with young men hung upside down and beaten “for sport” while a great-grandad was left “skin and bone” after being starved for weeks.
The emirate’s other prisons have less than stellar reputations too – back in 2016, , 25, from Farnham in Surrey, was thrown in prison for five days after reporting a rape at the hands of two British men to Dubai’s police force.
The computer software specialist was instead arrested for having sex outside marriage and thrown into filthy Al-Barsha Prison.
“I will never forget the jail, it’s the worst place I have ever been,” said Zara-Jayne.
“They kept the lights off during the day so we’d be eating in pitch blackness.
“Then they turned them on at night so no one could sleep.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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