British man faces two years in Dubai jail after testing positive for cannabis

A 24-year-old British man faces two years behind bars in Dubai after he tested positive for cannabis.

Connor Clements claimed he had been sleeping on the floor of a cell with 25 other people before being released on bail.

Mr Clements flew from Liverpool to Dubai to get out of a “rut” in his life and landed a job as a waiter earlier this year.

He underwent a medical test for his new employer but was arrested when the results showed he had traces of cannabis in his system. Mr Clements said he had taken the drug before boarding his flight to the United Arab Emirates.

“I was in a rut. My sister lives here and I had an opportunity to change my life and it's been nothing but a living nightmare,” he told the Liverpool Echo. “I haven't committed a crime in the UAE.”

He told the newspaper his court appearance had lasted less than a minute and was not allowed to explain what had happened in court.

Mr Clements described his few weeks in jail as a “living nightmare”.

His hearing will take place before Christmas and his passport has been confiscated.

“Our staff in the UAE are assisting a British man following his detention in Dubai,” a Foreign Office spokesperson told the paper.

“We have visited him on several occasions, made calls to the prosecutor's office to get updates on his case, and are in regular contact with his family.”

Authorities in the UAE have a zero tolerance policy towards drugs.

Around 200 UK citizens have been detained in the UAE this year alone.

A recent case was that of 27-year-old Jamie Harron from Stirling, who was held for three months after being sentenced for public indecency for accidentally touching another man’s hip in a busy bar.

A non-profit called Detained in Dubai has been established to “assist people who have become victims of injustice” in the UAE.