Irish air hostess charged with attempting suicide in Dubai heading home after travel ban is lifted
An Irish air hostess charged by police in Dubai with attempting to take her own life after she was allegedly attacked in her home has had her travel ban lifted by the authorities.
Tori Towey, an Emirates Airlines employee from Co Roscommon in Ireland, was reportedly attacked in her own home in Dubai across “several hours”, leaving her with injuries that needed hospital treatment.
Photos showed her with severe bruises on her arms, and bruising to the face.
She reportedly returned home after the assault but the violence continued, and Ms Towey attempted suicide.
Emergency services responded and the 28-year-old was taken to a police station in Dubai, where she was charged with “attempted suicide and alcohol consumption”.
Her passport was also reportedly blocked, meaning she is unable to return home to Ireland.
Ms Towey was understood to be staying in a rented apartment in Dubai with her mother, who flew out to be with her following the ordeal.
As her case was due before court in the UAE on July 18, she earlier pleaded for Irish authorities to intervene and help get her home.
“I’m glad I’m with my mother now but I don’t know what’s going to happen in court next week,” she told The Sun.
“I’m desperate to go home to Ireland and put all of this in the past. I’m asking the Taoiseach to please help us.”Her mother Caroline urged the Taoiseach, Department of Foreign Affairs, and British embassy “to please do everything to get my daughter home safely”.
“She’s been through the worst time of her life and needs to come home with me and heal,” she told the Sun.
In a major development, Irish premier Simon Harris revealed on Wednesday that Dubai’s travel ban on Ms Towey has now been lifted.
Addressing the Irish parliament on Wednesday afternoon, Mr Harris said: "I've just been informed that the travel ban has been lifted, that the embassy will take Tori to the airport as soon as she is ready to go and that the embassy of course will continue to follow up on the case, which is still active as of now."
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald had earlier intervened in the case.
She told the Dáil, Ireland’s lower house of parliament, on Tuesday that Ms Towey had been the victim of the “most gross violence”.
“Her passport has been destroyed. There was a travel ban imposed on her.”
Radhi Stirling, a legal expert at Detained in Dubai who is working on Ms Towey’s case, said: "We are calling on Dubai authorities to urgently drop the charges against Tori, remove the travel ban and let her fly home to Ireland with her mother.
“It’s outrageous, it’s broken,” she added.
Ms Towey’s aunt Ann Flynn on Wednesday said both were trying to stay positive.
Ms Stirling said the support of the Irish Government had "really warmed" them and "given them hope and inspiration".
"Right now she's just happy to be with her mother in safety. It's all very recent," Ms Stirling added.
Irish premier Simon Harris has reportedly agreed “to intervene and see how we can support an Irish citizen in what sounds to be...the most appalling circumstances".
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