Brooke George is a 23-year-old TikTok influencer from Gravesend, Kent, who, until recently, was known for sharing lifestyle and fashion content with nearly 100,000 followers online. Her content primarily featured selfies, nights out, travel and lifestyle updates, a carefree digital presence that now stands in stark contrast to the events that followed. Before building her social media following, she worked at the John Lewis department store.
Her last post, uploaded on 9 November 2025, showed her partying with friends at a DanceOnArrival music event. She is now at the centre of an international legal case after being charged with the premeditated murder of a 26-year-old British man in Dubai, a charge that, if she is convicted, could see her executed by firing squad.
George maintains she acted in self-defence. Her family and advocacy group Detained in Dubai say she was violently attacked before the fatal incident on 22 June 2026 and grabbed a kitchen knife within reach while fearing for her life. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has confirmed it is supporting her family and is in contact with UAE authorities.
How She Ended Up in Dubai
George met the 26-year-old man on Facebook and travelled to Dubai after developing an online relationship. Her first visit lasted about a week and was positive, with George describing it as 'the time of my life.' She brushed aside concerns over a professional photography shoot her new partner had arranged during the trip.
During her second visit, however, the situation changed. George alleges he became increasingly controlling and abusive, and that she only discovered he had booked her a one-way ticket when she attempted to arrange her return home. She reached out to friends to help secure a flight back to Britain.
What George Says Happened
According to her family, George contacted them in a state of panic after being repeatedly punched. Desperate to leave the UAE, she arranged a flight home with help from friends and returned to the apartment solely to recover her passport. She found her personal possessions sprawled over the apartment. Her family say she was crying and begging for her passport's return when she was punched hard in the face and attacked. George says she feared for her life and, reaching for a kitchen knife within her grasp, acted in self-defence.
George, who had visible bruising and injuries to her face and body, was arrested in the early hours of 22 June when she was stopped at the airport. She was charged with murder before she could board her flight home.
Her mother, Thereza George, said in a statement: 'When I spoke to Brooke right after the incident, she was absolutely terrified. I have never seen my daughter so frightened in my life. She was crying uncontrollably. I could see that one of her eyes was badly swollen and was beginning to close. I firmly believe she was desperately trying to get home and away from whatever had happened to her.'
A Friend of the Victim Tells a Different Story
The man George is accused of killing has been identified as William Treeby, 26, also originally from Kent. A friend of Treeby, speaking anonymously, pushed back against George's account, describing him as 'a good guy with a big heart' who had been 'treating her well.' The friend said she had been 'living the life' in Dubai and questioned why she had flown back out just four days before the fatal incident if she had genuinely felt unsafe. He alleged the pair had a 'petty argument' at a bar that evening before Treeby went home, and suggested George followed and stabbed him.
Treeby's mother, Karen, wrote publicly: 'My darling son, I'm broken. Rest in forever peace, my Bill. You will be so missed and loved by us all. We will never forget you and will keep your memory alive always.' His sister Esther added: 'He was not only my brother but my best friend. I love you, my Bill. Forever 26.'
@brookekeishageorge Before getting my money stolen out my bag by scummy security @DanceOnArrival at Utopia warehouse, barking @vuncle205 u was cool 🤍@lauren 🕺💃#fyp #foryou #rave ♬ original sound - Brookekeishaxx
Her Treatment in Custody
According to her family, one of the most distressing moments since her arrest came inside Bur Dubai Police Station, where George claims she was ordered to remove all of her clothing while male guards were present and no female officer was available. Detained in Dubai also said George had not been given access to her embassy and had been required to make statements without a lawyer present. UAE authorities have not publicly responded to these allegations, and they remain unverified while legal proceedings continue.
Radha Stirling, chief executive of Detained in Dubai, said: 'The UAE has a well-documented history of criminalising and revictimising women who report violence. The authorities must investigate Brooke's allegations with the same seriousness as the allegation against her.'
The case has raised significant questions about the legal protections available to British nationals detained in the UAE, particularly women who allege domestic violence. Detained in Dubai has called on UAE authorities to forensically examine all digital communications and devices connected to Treeby to determine whether George may have been targeted for exploitation. The Foreign Office has confirmed it remains in contact with local authorities, though the outcome of the investigation and whether George's self-defence claim will be properly examined is yet to be established.
