Parents Of Former Soldier Jailed In Dubai 'Terrified' For His Safety

Maurice and Sue Neal spoke to Forces News at their Nottingham home.

The parents of a former soldier, being held in a Dubai jail, say they are "terrified" for his safety.

Andrew Neal, who served in Iraq Afghanistan and Bosnia, is understood to have been detained for more than four months.

The 44-year-old is accused of selling drugs, something he denies.

Maurice and Sue Neal say they are heartbroken and that they are desperate to get their son back.

Andrew moved to Dubai with his wife and two children in 2015, before that he’d served in the military for 24 years - for some of that time as a dog handler.

"It was the best thing Andrew ever did when he joined up - he’s a dedicated father, he loves his wife, he’s a positive family man - just like myself."

Like Andrew - his family is appealing to the UK government for more help.

He is being represented by Human Rights Group Detained in Dubai.

The Foreign Office says it is providing assistance to a British man after his arrest in the United Arab Emirates.

"We’re terrified for him, because we don’t know what’s going to happen, he’s so far away, he can only contact us by very short messages.

"Most of our information comes from his wife obviously, and it’s quite devastating that we can’t help him - that we can’t be there for him."

Forty-four-year-old Andrew was diagnosed with PTSD on his most recent deployment to Afghanistan.

His parents say they are worried for his mental health.

"The whole situation has brought that PTSD back at full force and that worries us greatly at the moment."

"He tries to reassure us - tries to be positive - but we can tell by the tone of his voice that it’s hurting him - badly."

Maurice and Sue hope their plea for help will lead to the release of their son.