The mother of a man being held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has said his detention is something she never imagined possible.

Margaret Ballentine was reacting to the “very silly” case again her son Craig, 33, who is being held by the authorities in the Middle Eastern city of Dubai.

Joining her in calling for his return is friend Sean Morgan, who said Craig has been “treated appallingly”.

Their comments were released in a statement this morning from a website belonging to a company called Detained in Dubai, which bills itself as an outfit of “UAE civil and criminal justice specialists”.

The company promotes awareness of cases where foreigners have been imprisoned in UAE, and campaigns for their release.

The statement it has published from Margaret Ballentine said: “I am very worried for my son and I’m calling on the Foreign Office to help him, and for the UAE ambassador to see that the charges against my son are just very silly.

"This has all been so stressful. The thought of Craig going to prison over a Google review is just horrendous, we are all suffering sleepless nights and anxiety.

"It’s just not something I ever imagined possible. How can someone be so vindictive as to lock another up over a negative social media review?

"Why criminalise someone and try to jail them? This is going too far. He didn’t use bad language, he just expressed his views which is what you’re supposed to do on review sites.

"We call on the government, the Foreign Office and Dubai authorities to please let our son come home.”

According to Detained in Dubai, Craig had taken a job as a dog groomer in Dubai in 2023, and had worked there for about six months.

But he was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and subsequently got into a dispute with his employer over the issue.

He returned to Northern Ireland, and from there posted a critical review of the dog salon on Google, setting out the problems he had faced.

Then in October he went on holiday to the city of Abu Dhabi, also in the UAE, and was arrested.

Detained in Dubai (which says he is from either Cookstown or Belfast) says he faces up to two years in prison for “slander”.

Meanwhile his friend Mr Morgan said: “Since Craig’s arrest, I’ve learned that it’s actually common for tourists to be arrested for leaving a one-or-two star reviews of tourist facilities like hotels or restaurants. I had no idea.

"How can a tourist destination make it illegal to say anything bad about service providers? 99% of tourists aren’t going to know this. I had no idea that the law could be applied to reviews made from outside the country too. It’s ridiculous.

"Craig is the kindest man you’ll ever meet. He’s always volunteering and helping others. He has been treated appallingly and he just doesn’t deserve it.”

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been contacted and a response is awaited.

In July, an Irish flight attendant called Tori Towey was returned home after being arrested in the UAE on charges of consuming alcohol and attempting suicide.

The Foreign Office told the News Letter: “We are providing support to a British man in the UAE. We have been in contact with his family and the local authorities.”