A British academic arrested in the UAE on suspicion of spying is facing at least another month in solitary confinement while an Abu Dhabi court re-examines the evidence against him.

Matthew Hedges, 31, was arrested at Dubai airport in May on allegations of spying for a foreign state and has been held at undisclosed prison location in the UAE since then.

He appeared in court on Wednesday, where his lawyer insisted on his innocence and asked the judge to re-examine the evidence against him before delivering a verdict.

The judge agreed and scheduled another hearing for November 21. By then, Mr Hedges will have been held in solitary confinement for more than six months.

“Given the way the UAE have treated Matt since they detained him with no explanation, I did not have high hopes that Matt, an innocent man, would be granted anything close to a fair trial," said Daniela Tejada, Mr Hedges’ wife.

“Although I welcome this decision to review the evidence, it pains me to think that by his next court hearing, Matt will have been detained for over six months for carrying out legitimate academic research.”