Mother of British law student jailed for life in Dubai speaks out after GoFundMe shut down over major guideline breach

The mother of the 23-year-old British law student jailed for life in Dubai has issued another statement after her GoFundMe was shut down over a major guideline breach.

In October 2024, Mia O'Brien, a Merseyside native who studied law at Liverpool University, was arrested after allegedly being found with 50 grams of cocaine at an apartment in Dubai.

According to her mother, Dannielle McKenna, the 23-year-old was arrested alongside her friend and the friend's boyfriend, with all three of them being charged with drug dealing.

Mia pleaded not guilty, but was given a life sentence after a one-day hearing on 25 July, as well as a £100,000 fine. In Dubai, the penalties for drug-related offences can be severe, as the UK Foreign Office says that sentences for drug trafficking can 'include the death penalty'.

Mia O'Brien was sentenced to 25 years in a Dubai jail after 50g of cocaine was allegedly found in her apartment (GoFundMe)

Mia was reportedly held in Dubai Central Prison, also known as Al-Awir, whose conditions have been described as 'hellish'.

However, while Mia was originally reported to have been held in Dubai's Central Prison, her mother has since confirmed that she'd been transferred to another one following her sentence, though she did not specify where.

Following her daughter's arrest and sentencing, Dannielle started a GoFundMe fundraiser.

Dannielle's original fundraiser

Dannielle previously set up a GoFundMe for Mia, writing on the now-deleted post: "Mia has been given a life sentence over in Dubai, and she is now in central prison.

"As you can all probably imagine, as her mother, I am absolutely devastated. I haven’t seen my daughter since last October. Mia is only 23 years old and has never done a bad thing in her life."

The fundraiser went on to say that Mia had 'unfortunately got mixed up in the wrong so-called friends and made a very stupid mistake and is now paying the price'.

GoFundMe's response

Mia's mother, Danielle McKenna, said she was 'absolutely devastated' (Facebook)

The GoFundMe page, which Dannielle said was set up to be used to cover legal fees and travel costs, allowing Mia’s family to visit, was removed by the website for violating its guidelines.

A GoFundMe spokesperson said (via The Sun): "It was removed because it violates Term 9 of the Prohibited Conduct section in our Terms of Service. Term 9 prohibits raising funds on GoFundMe for the legal defence of certain alleged crimes."

Dannielle's response to GoFundMe

Danielle hit out over GoFundMe online in her latest statements (Facebook)

In her latest update (7 September), Danielle has taken to Facebook to share her details online, allowing people to donate money directly to her bank.

"Seems as the GoFundMe are being absolute c*nts," she hit out, before declaring: "I am going to set up my own, as they are nitpicking at everything, so they can shove there [sic] cut up there [sic] a*se, call themselves a charity, but make sure they take a percentage out of every donation.

"So if you would like to donate, please send it to [...] and I would just like to thank everyone."

Tyla has reached out to GoFundMe for further comment.