A 23-year-old British TikTok influencer is facing death by firing squad in Dubai after being charged with the murder of a man she claims repeatedly attacked her, and new details about the victim’s criminal past are raising serious questions about what really happened.
Brooke George met 26-year-old William Treeby on Facebook in April. Within weeks he had introduced her to his family and invited her to Dubai, promising modelling work. Her first visit lasted about a week and went well, with George later even describing it as the time of her life.
Her second visit, which began just four days before the fatal incident, was very different.
What George says happened
According to advocacy group Detained in Dubai, Treeby became increasingly controlling during the second trip. George says she discovered he had only booked her a one-way ticket, leaving her desperate to get home.
After a night out at a bar in Dubai on June 22, she claims he assaulted her in the car on the way back and continued the attack at the apartment.
George had already called her family in a panic after being repeatedly punched and had arranged a flight home. She returned to the apartment only to collect her passport, but Treeby refused to hand it over and punched her hard in the face. Fearing for her life, she grabbed a kitchen knife within reach.
Her mother Thereza, 55, told The Sun she could see her daughter’s eye was badly swollen and beginning to close when they spoke that night.
“I have never seen my daughter so frightened,” she said.
“She was crying uncontrollably.”
George was arrested at Dubai International Airport hours later as she tried to board a flight back to the UK.
What was going on in the apartment
Thereza also revealed that during her daughter’s second visit, her daughter was left alone at the apartment for most of the day while Treeby went out to deal with what he described as work.
Other men lived at the property and came and went regularly, having conversations they would step outside for. A second man also drove the couple around this time, something that hadn’t happened during the first visit.
“The feel of the apartment and the other guys in there, the dynamic felt different,” Thereza explained.
Neither George nor her mother knew exactly what Treeby did for work in Dubai.
Treeby’s criminal history
What has added significant weight to George’s account is Treeby’s background. Following his death it emerged that he had a previous conviction for violent offences in the UK and was awaiting trial on separate drug conspiracy charges at the time of his death.
Detained in Dubai has called on UAE authorities to forensically examine all digital communications and devices connected to Treeby.
Friends of Treeby have pushed back against George’s version of events, describing him as a good person who had been treating her well and questioning why she would have flown back out to Dubai just four days before the incident if she had genuinely felt unsafe.
His mother Karen wrote publicly:
“My darling son, I’m broken. Rest in forever peace, my Bill. You will be so missed and loved by us all.”
What happens next
George has been charged with premeditated murder and is being held at Bur Dubai prison. If convicted she faces death by firing squad. Even if she avoids the death penalty, a murder conviction in Dubai carries a life sentence with no prospect of parole.
Detained in Dubai CEO Radha Stirling said authorities should treat George as a domestic violence survivor while the investigation continues. The UK Foreign Office has confirmed it is in contact with UAE authorities.
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