A mother with a broken heart has spoken of her agony for her son who has been trapped in a hellish prison in Dubai for eleven months.
Breda Hood, Billy Hood’s devastated mother, talked about her fears that she might never see her son again as she begged him not to forget her.
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Billy’s mother has spoken of her agony for her son locked up in a Dubai prisonCredit: Breda Hood
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Billy has been closed since JanuaryCredit: SWNS
Last month, Billy was sentenced to 25 years in prison after police found four small bottles of harmless CBD oil in his car.
The bottles were left by a friend Billy had left at the airport.
With this horrible sentence, it means he will remain in Dubai’s most notorious prison until his 49th birthday.
Speaking exclusively on The Sun Online, Breda, from west London, said: “It feels unreal.
“There are no words in the dictionary to say how I felt [about the sentencing] or what I am still feeling. It still sticks in my head.
“He was 25? Why? You took his life.”
Breda first learned of what happened to Billy in early February after his friends had reported the football coach’s disappearance.
A few days after making the inquiries, Billy’s friends told his older brother Alex that he had been arrested.
“We thought it wouldn’t be an important thing,” Breda explained. “That’s why we didn’t make it public for eight or nine months.
“Billy kept saying‘ don’t worry about it, it will be fixed ’.
“It was stupid. We laughed a little. I know it sounds silly now, but that’s what we did. We just thought it was going to be fixed and he’ll be back home soon.”
But Billy’s situation in Dubai went from bad to worse.
After the 24-year-old was convicted, he disappeared and lost contact with the outside world.
Billy’s family had not heard from him after he was transferred from one of Dubai’s best-known prisons.
His family was deeply concerned about his well-being after he claimed he had strong evidence that Dubai police framed him.
That’s when he said “please don’t forget me”. I said, “I’ll never forget you son, never.”
Breda Hood
But last Sunday, Breda said he spoke with his son to whom he explained he had been locked up in solitary confinement for ten whole days.
“That phone call Billy made last Sunday was heartbreaking,” Breda said, suppressing her tears.
“I don’t know if they have human rights there, but he has suffered mental torture.
“Billy said he was close to thinking this was for him. Ten days with bright lights on you in isolation. I didn’t think he was going to leave.”
Billy told his mother that prison was “like hell on Earth.”
“And I’m a mom who had to hear that over the phone,” Breda said.
“You watch prison programs on TV and you see how they are treated in other countries, but when it’s your own child, it’s very difficult.
“And that Sunday phone call, I’ll never forget him, I’ll never forget his words.”
While awaiting the verdict of his appeal, Billy will spend his 25th birthday in appalling conditions in the notorious Al Sadr prison.
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Billy as a child with his mother BredaCredit: Breda Hood
The verdict on Billy’s appeal is due to be announced next Tuesday, however, Breda has no high hopes for what could happen.
“I won’t live up to my hopes,” he said.
“But I don’t know. That’s the scariest thing about them, it’s that I don’t know. They play so many mental games.”
According to Breda, even though Billy hopes everything works out, he told his mother he won’t be holding his breath for the verdict next week.
“That’s when he said ‘please don’t forget me.’ I said, ‘I’ll never forget you son, never.’ It was the worst call of my life.”
There is zero tolerance for drug-related crimes in the UAE.
Penalties for trafficking, smuggling and possession of even small amounts of drugs are severe.
Convictions for drug trafficking can include the death penalty and possession of even the smallest amount of illegal drugs can carry a minimum sentence of four years in prison.
Billy’s family has made a request to help free Billy from his sentence in Dubai.
The Office of Foreign Affairs, Commonwealth and Development has been contacted for comment.
Mother of a 24-year-old British footballer imprisoned for 25 years after the arrest of CBD oil in an emotional interview with GMB
