The wife of a British grandfather who faces jail in Dubai after making a noise complaint to ‘aggressive’ locals has spoken out to say she fears for his heart condition and that the family ‘are all very distressed’.
Ian Mackellar, 74, and his wife, Carol, 71, of Newtonhill, Scotland had been visiting their daughter, who had recently moved to Dubai, in December when the grandfather became involved in a dispute with the neighbours.
Mr Mackellar was helping babysit his 18-month-old granddaughter when he asked a party nearby if they could be mindful of noise on New Year’s Eve. But despite repeated requests to watch the volume, the family say the noise only got louder.
‘The music was like being in a nightclub several doors down, it was bouncing,’ Mrs Mackellar told the BBC.
Mr Mackellar confronted the neighbours who became ‘aggressive’, culminating in one of the guests allegedly throwing a drink over the grandfather and child. He left and chose not escalate the case with the police – but soon found himself slapped with a formal complaint for trespass and could face criminal repercussions.
As legal experts and his MP fight for his release, Mr Mackellar’s wife warns that her husband is ‘very stressed’ and has a heart issue.
‘I just want him home,’ she said.
British grandfather Ian Mackellar went to visit his daughter in Dubai, who lives in the country
Ian Mackellar, 74 travelled to the UAE during the festive period to visit his daughter who had recently moved to the country, and to help babysit her young child. Pictured: Dubai skyline
Mr and Mrs Mackellar visited the UAE late last year to spend time with his daughter who had recently moved to the country and was still settling in.
They say Mr Mackellar agreed to babysit his 18-month-old granddaughter and politely asked the neighbours to be mindful of the noise as their daughter was working early on New Year’s Day.
The family send a message to host when the party showed no signs of winding down, but the music only seemed to get louder and louder.
Finally, Mr Mackellar went and knocked on the door for a ‘neighbour-to-neighbour’ chat to explain that family members were struggling to sleep.
When nobody answered, the grandfather followed an open side path leading to the garden, where guests were mingling.
The grandfather says he asked if they could move the party indoors – but says guests began to push him and shout at him, knocking his granddaughter’s bottle to the ground.
Some guests attempted to intervene, advising Mr Mackellar to leave, but as he made his way to the street, he says the host approached him, shouting loudly and even throwing her drink over him and the baby.
Mr Mackellar described her actions as ‘unacceptable’ and said he was eager to report the incident to the police, but his daughter refused, anxious about stoking further tension with her neighbours.
Since then, the party host has filed a formal police complaint against Mr Mackellar for trespass, which has stopped him from being able to leave the country – and he could face several years in prison.
His wife, who has been able to return to the UK in time for a hospital appointment, said she ‘has no idea when Ian will be allowed to come home’.
She told the BBC her husband was a ‘placid man’, a ‘devoted dad and husband’
The couple have been married for 49 years and have ‘never really been apart’, she said.
Mr Mackellar is now seeking help from legal experts and Andrew Bowie, Conservative MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, in a desperate attempt to free himself and be reunited with his wife.
A spokesman for Mr Bowie’s office told : ‘Andrew has engaged with the Foreign Office after being contacted by Mr McKellar, and has given details of his case to the relevant minister.
‘Andrew’s office are giving Mr McKellar’s family advice and support, and are working to help get him the medical help he needs.’
Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, said: ‘This is a very sad situation. Nobody would ever imagine that a polite request to turn the music down would result in a travel ban and criminal prosecution.’
‘Again and again, we are reminded that a simple trip to Dubai can indeed be a one-way ticket.
‘If the case isn’t dropped, Ian will likely end up in prisons notorious for human rights violations, and he simply doesn’t deserve it.’
She explained: ‘It is standard practice in Dubai to preemptively file a police report when at risk of being reported.
‘The prosecution tends to side with whomever makes the first police report, so if someone is at risk of being reported themselves, they will quickly file against the actual victim. This is how people familiar with Dubai justice manipulate the system to their advantage.’
Mr Mackellar is unable to leave the country since the neighbour filed a complaint against him
‘It is commonplace for foreigners in this situation to offer financial compensation to their accuser in order to drop the case,’ Stirling added.
‘Authorities in Dubai need to crack down on this blatant abuse of the criminal justice system. The practice is systemic and will require significant legislative change to stamp it out completely.
‘It’s imperative that parliamentary representatives support their constituents where they face injustice. We’re seeing more and more MP’s demanding action from the FCDO and foreign ministry counterparts in countries like the UAE, Qatar and Saudi.’
Mr Mackellar was scheduled to return to Scotland on January 10, but now remains indefinitely in the UAE, separated from his family and unable to receive medical treatment for his heart condition.
The Foreign Office confirmed they were ‘providing consular assistance’ to a British man in Dubai.