[News] British chef wrongly spends 19 months in Dubai jail after cops misinterpreted a text sent to him to book a table

A British Chef wrongly spent 19 months in a Dubai jail on drug trafficking charges after cops misinterpreted a text to book a table.

The 43-year-old restauranteur, Luke Tully was sent a message by a dealer he knew requesting a table for ten people. Cops however mistakenly believed it was a coded request for 10g of cocaine, when they seized the supplier and his phone.

Luke alleged that officers threatened to throw him off a balcony unless he “told them where the drugs were”.

The Sun reported that the father-of-four and his two friends were released in August by a judge due to lack of evidence, but prosecutors in the United Arab Emirates are appealing against the decision.

Luke, who spent £150,000 on legal fees, is now back home in Bishop’s Stortford, Herts. In a message to Brits planning to visit the UAE, he said: “Don’t bother if you value your liberty.”