British football coach Billy Hood's uncle David has shared how his nephew is doing while he is locked up in Dubai "hell-hole."
Last month, Hood, 24, who is originally from Ladbroke Grove, West London, was sentenced to 25 years in jail after authorities found four small bottles of harmless CBD (Cannabidiol) vape oil in his vehicle.
Hood's contact with the outside world had been cut off by prison guards, and David got to speak to him for the first time in weeks, reported The Sun. David told Radha Stirling, the CEO and founder of Detained in Dubai, that he spoke to his nephew, but "he was very limited" in what he could share. David said that once Hood reached the notorious Al Sadr prison, he was put into solitary confinement where the limit is supposed to be five days, but he was kept there for 10 days.
According to his uncle, it had lights on on full beam for 24 hours every day. David said, "Billy told me he came close to losing his mind in the cockroach-infested cell with no toiletries and the aircon set to -10 degrees."
The 10 days Hood spent in solitary confinement, Stirling said that this is a "form of torture and most certainly contravenes United Nations' directives."
Hood's family had not heard from him for a while, and his family members were concerned for his wellbeing after he claimed that he had evidence that cops in Dubai had framed him. One of his friends claimed that ever since Hood discussed his bombshell evidence, he had been “tasered” and “tortured” in the "hell-hole" jail.
Last month, he had launched an appeal against his conviction, according to BBC.
Hood had said in a statement that cops demanded him to show them where the drugs were, so he was "shocked, scared and confused." He told them he wasn’t aware of or in possession of drugs. He took a drugs test, which came back negative, and he allowed police to search his house where they found 4,000 pounds ($5,351.70) in cash which he claimed was money from his new employer. But he was arrested and thrown in prison.
Football agent Alfie Cain said that Hood was beaten for five days while cops tried to force him to confess to crimes related to drugs. Hood signed the drug trafficking confession because he was told by the authorities that if he signed the document, written in Arabic language, they would stop beating him, said Cain, as reported by The Sun.
An appeal hearing at Abu Dhabi Court has been scheduled for Nov. 30. Hood's family, backed by campaign group Detained in Dubai, have appealed to Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum for his freedom, and have applied for a royal pardon.
