Foreign Office demands full investigation after death of Lee Brown during detention in Dubai over a row at luxury hotel

This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

The Foreign Office has demanded a full investigation after a British man died in police custody in Dubai.

Lee Brown, 39, allegedly suffered severe beatings during his six-day detention at the Bur Dubai police station after being arrested over a row at the luxury hotel where he was staying.

He died on Tuesday, two days after his family were reportedly told he was being abused in custody.

An unnamed inmate reportedly rang Brown's family on Sunday, using a phone number found on a photocopy of the Briton's passport. The Daily Mail reported that the inmate told Brown's sister her brother had been beaten and his body taken away in a bodybag.

Brown's family, based in Dagenham, east London, said they contacted the British embassy in Dubai, but UK officials who subsequently visited the police station were told he did not want to meet them, according a support group for alleged victims of injustice in the UAE.

Radha Stirling, founder of the London-based Detained In Dubai, said officials should have been able to see Brown "whether or not he wanted to speak to them".

She added: "It does look like he was in a bad condition and the police didn't want the embassy to see him."

Amnesty International urged the UAE to ensure a full investigation takes place, and the Foreign Office said it had spoken to Dubai police "at the highest level a number of times to stress the importance of a full investigation".

Dubai police, quoted in the Abu Dhabi newspaper The National, said Brown's body had no bruises or marks indicating an assault. "These reports in the media that he was beaten by police are a pack of lies," an unnamed police official told the paper.

The official said Brown was vomiting on the day before his death but did not complain or ask for medical help.