What began as a promising business opportunity in Dubai turned into a real-life nightmare for a 21-year-old British woman after she was arrested on undisclosed dr*g charges and thrown into a “hellhole” prison.
Isabella Daggett, a recruitment consultant and co-director of a small modeling agency, has reportedly been without access to showers or clean clothes after being swept up in a police raid just after starting a new job in the United Arab Emirates.
Confused and looking for answers, her family is now desperately raising money via a fundraiser to bring Isabella home. The more time that passes, the more she’s subjected to inhumane conditions.
A 21-year-old British model was arrested and thrown into a Dubai prison without access to a shower or clean clothes
“She was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong people,” said her grandmother, Heather Smith. “Bella is innocent. She’s never used dr*gs, and tests have confirmed nothing was in her system.”
Before her arrest, Isabella was living a normal life, working in the UK for a businessman who recruited workers for construction projects.
In her free time, she doubled as an Instagram model, regularly uploading seductive photos where she flaunted her body in what appeared to be luxurious resorts and hotels.
Her images caught the attention of an agency in Dubai, which offered her an exciting new job and lifestyle in the Gulf. Convinced, Isabella packed her things and relocated in early spring.
It didn’t take long for things to unravel.
“She rang me a week before her arrest,” her grandmother recalled. “She said she wasn’t happy, that she knew something was off. She was planning to come home. And then this happened.”
According to Heather, Isabella had been staying with a man she “barely knew” after another housing arrangement fell through.
The man was reportedly arrested alongside her, and while the precise charges remain undisclosed, Isabella’s family believes she is innocent and was wrongly detained.
Her family alleges she is innocent and was wrongfully detained in connection with the crimes of a man she had been staying with
Since March, the 21-year-old has been made to endure deplorable conditions.
“She hasn’t had a shower for a month. No change of clothes for three months,” her grandmother added, explaining that not only is she receiving appalling treatment as a prisoner, but that her situation has been made worse by the fact that she’s a woman.
“Women get treated worse than the men in there. Male prisoners get to go outside. They have video game consoles and TVs. Bella has nothing.”
Isabella’s family said they had warned her about Dubai’s strict laws and troubling reputation before she left.
“We told her: ‘You know the rules in Dubai. Play by them.’ But she wasn’t even trying to break any,” Heather continued.
“She ended up at this guy’s house, a guy she didn’t even like much. Maybe he’s guilty of something. She isn’t.”
A GoFundMe campaign was launched to help Isabella’s family pay for her legal and travel expenses
Her mother, 44-year-old Lucinda Smith, launched a fundraiser campaign last Tuesday (May 20), with the goal of raising £5,500 ($7,450) to bring her daughter back home.
“The legal and travel expenses are overwhelming, and we need your support. Any contribution, no matter how small, will help us cover the costs of legal fees, travel, and other necessary expenses,” she wrote.
“We have proof she was not involved in these charges and are determined to fight for her freedom. The hideous conditions she is living in are enough to break any mother’s heart.”
The campaign has raised just over £1,000 ($1350) at the time of writing.
According to official UK Government information, Lucinda and her daughter were planning to move into the modeling industry for good. In May 2024, they registered a company called “The Global Model Agency Ltd.,” with both of them acting as co-directors.
Lucinda has declined to speak to the media directly.
Isabella’s arrest is far from being an isolated case. Her story draws disturbing parallels to another young woman’s ordeal in Dubai
As Bored Panda previously reported, earlier this year, Maria Kovalchuk, a 20-year-old Ukrainian model, was found near-lifeless by the side of a Dubai road with multiple shattered bones after going missing for ten days.
Much like Isabella, Maria had traveled to Dubai to attend a meeting with influential men claiming to be representatives of the modeling industry. She attended a party alongside a friend who returned home to her country before Maria disappeared.
Local investigations revealed that she sustained her injuries after “entering a restricted construction site alone and falling from a height.” Her family, however, maintains that she was assaulted.
According to media reports, Maria’s family fears she may have fallen victim to a “twisted” adult entertainment scheme involving wealthy sheiks in Dubai.
“There are videos circulating where sheiks allegedly beat girls, cut their hair, and do all sorts of other things to them,” explained lawyer Katya Gordon to The Sun, urging women not to go to said events, no matter how tempting the monetary incentives might be.
“No pity.” Netizens expressed little sympathy for the 21-year-old
