An Irish flight attendant who was held in Dubai for ‘attempting suicide’ after being ‘beaten by her husband’ has landed in Ireland after charges against her were dropped.
A beaming Tori Towey, 28, said she was ‘so relieved’ to be home as she flew into Dublin Airport with her mother Caroline today. ‘I’m just so grateful and thankful to be back.’
She expressed her gratitude to those who helped her get home, including the Irish embassy and the media. “Without you, I wouldn’t be here,” she told reporters.
She continued to call her native Ireland “a great country,” adding that “I feel sorry for people who don’t have the support that we do. We’re such a close-knit country and we support each other.”
“I’m so emotional,” she said.
Tori Towney, 28, was accused of attempting suicide and was banned from travelling by Dubai authorities. She has now arrived in Dublin after her charges were dropped
Tori Towey was photographed with extensive bruising over her body, which she says is the result of an attack
Tori Towey, pictured left with her aunt, had been banned from leaving the UAE and told she faced jail for drinking alcohol and attempting suicide.
The young flight attendant told reporters at the airport that the past few weeks had been “mentally exhausting,” saying she was stuck in Dubai and didn’t know “what would happen.”
“I’m back now and I’m happy to be home and see my family,” she added.
This came after Mrs Towey, the flight attendant from County Roscommon, woke up in a Dubai police station after being attacked by her South African husband.
Police in the United Arab Emirates have charged the young woman with alcohol abuse and attempted suicide, and she is due to fight her case in court later this month.
Her passport was revoked, preventing Ms Towey from returning to her family in Ireland and raising fears that she could face a prison sentence in the Emirates.
Ms Towey moved to the UAE in April 2023 when she started working as a flight attendant with Emirates Airlines. She married a South African man and they lived together until their relationship reportedly became violent
But an action group working on her case has confirmed that the charges have been dropped, the travel ban lifted and that Ms Towey is “relieved” to be returning home.
In a statement, the Dubai Government Press Agency said: “The Dubai Public Prosecution Service has closed the case involving Irish national Tori Towey, after she and her husband, a South African national, were implicated in a case involving mutual allegations of assault, dating back to May 2024.
The couple has reached a reconciliation and withdrawn the charges filed against each other.
‘The Dubai Public Prosecution Service also dropped the attempted suicide charge against her, given the circumstances of the case and to give her the opportunity to return to a normal life.’
Speaking about the lifting of her travel ban, Detained in Dubai CEO Radha Stirling said: “She is delighted and relieved. She said she is overjoyed and looking forward to coming home to Ireland and seeing the rest of her family.
“She’s also a little nervous because she’s afraid something will happen before she gets on the plane, but the overriding feeling is joy.”
Ms Towey’s family thanked the Irish government and campaigners for their help, while her mother Caroline told MailOnline the support had been ‘incredible’.
Caroline said: ‘The support from the Irish government and the Irish people has been incredible and we didn’t expect it at all. It’s a small country and the politicians are real people.
“We are both exhausted and desperate to get home. Thank you so much to everyone who is supporting us.”
She added that her daughter “has been through the worst time of her life and needs to come home with me to heal.”
Tori’s aunt Ann Flynn also told Sky News: “She’s doing the best she can. It’s very stressful, stressful for the whole family.
‘Tori is a beautiful young woman, fun loving, loves to travel. She got her dream job with Emirates, and she was able to continue to travel with her work.’
“It’s truly awful that this happened to a young woman who was full of life and adventure.”
The 28-year-old moved to the UAE in April 2023 when she was offered a job as a flight attendant. She married a South African man and they lived together until their relationship reportedly turned violent.
More to follow.