The long, black robe worn by Muslim women covers her from head to toe. Her light-blue eyes dart around the empty courtroom in bewilderment, searching for familiar faces.
Then ROXANNE HILLIER sees her father, Freddie, and they both breathe a sigh of relief. Her eyes show tension but Freddie can also see the Muslim sex-crime nightmare his 22-year-old daughter has been caught up in won’t break her spirit.
When she gets the opportunity she whispers to him that she’s okay - despite having been locked up in a prison cell in a small town in the United Arab Emirates since 16 May.
Roxanne, who is a qualified diving instructor and has worked as a rescue diver in the town of Khor Fakkan in the Sharjah emirate since November, has been accused of extramarital sex with her employer.
She was convicted of the charge after a three-minute appearance. Only three simple questions were put to her, in answer to which she denied all guilt. She was sentenced to three months in prison, with only the dim hope of an appeal succeeding. After her release she’ll be deported.
On the night things went awry she and her employer came back very late after two difficult dives during the day.
“She didn’t want to go to her flat on her own because it was quite far from the diving centre and it was already late,” Freddie says. She decided to sleep in a room on the top floor of the centre and locked the door.
Police officials later pulled her from a corner where she had curled up to hide after hearing noises in the night. She was taken to a hospital for medical tests.
Despite the tests coming back negative for sexual intercourse she was found guilty of having had sex with her boss. She was forced to sign a statement in Arabic.
The relationship between Roxanne and her boss is platonic, Freddie says. He and his wife, Ina, raised their children to respect others and his daughter wouldn’t have shown contempt for the Muslim laws that designate extramarital sex a crime.
“It’s really hard for us. We know she’s innocent but we can’t prove it.”
When he goes to bed at night he’s very aware of his daughter’s pain. “We won’t stop fighting. She’s innocent and we’ll keep fighting until we’ve proved it.”
