The family of a British dad are begging for him to be freed after he allegedly faced torture in a Dubai jail, Metro can reveal.
Ryan Pepper, 27, has allegedly been beaten, threatened and psychologically abused after he was arrested within the United Arab Emirates (UAE) greater than seven months ago.
A report by legal advocates Detained in Dubai – seen by Metro – says that handwritten notes smuggled out of the UAE detention facility claimed he was living in ‘hell’.
The human rights group also claim British officials have struggled to get private access to the dad following safeguarding concerns raised by his devastated family.
They’ve also raised his case with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture, in addition to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
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Sister Chloe Pepper, who has spoken to him over the phone, said: ‘At first we were attempting to stay positive.
‘But then Ryan began telling us people had been beaten, isolated, threatened and denied communication. He sounded terrified. We
genuinely began fearing he was going to die in there.’
Ryan, a dad-of-two from Ashford, Kent, was arrested and locked up in a UAE ‘hell hole’ on November 3, 2025.
His family have no idea why he was detained, and so they consider the Foreign Office doesn’t know either.
A note from the dad was allegedly smuggled out of the police detention facility detailing allegations of mistreatment within the jail.
In accordance with Detained in Dubai, Ryan wrote that ‘everyone was beaten up’ and described the jail as ‘hell’.
(Picture: supplied to metro)
He also claimed police had ‘kidnapped and robbed’ detainees, and repeatedly suggested he couldn’t safely explain what was happening in writing because communications were monitored.
One other detainee within the jail allegedly contacted the family directly, telling them Ryan was held in confinement for 20 days and physically abused.
The man inmate also told Detained in Dubai that officials allegedly used pliers to tear out 4 of his front teeth.
Chloe said the family were denied calls with Ryan until they spoke for the primary time on May thirteenth.
She said: ‘Regardless that I used to be getting these handwritten notes from him, it was in the back of my mind that in the event that they had been backdated and were made to make it seem like he’s alive and he isn’t.
‘So many scenarios went through my head. So to listen to his voice and understand it was actually him… [I] can’t describe the sensation of relief I felt. But [I was] also sad due to what he’s endured.’
During that decision, he allegedly described ‘inhumane’ treatment by authorities and said he was ‘more apprehensive than ever’ that he was going to be killed.
Detained in Dubai says Ryan was taken to hospital during his time within the UAE jail, but that authorities claimed this was because of complications
from a previous surgery.
Chloe said: ‘We’re begging for proof our loved one is protected. No family should should live like this.’
Detained in Dubai claims that British Embassy officials met Ryan on February 16, but that UAE officials were there supervising the visit.
The group told Metro that British diplomats made a surprise visit to the detention centre yesterday, where they’d an unsupervised meeting with Ryan, during which he discussed his alleged mistreatment.
Chloe said the family now not trust official reassurances regarding his welfare.
She added: ‘We kept being told Ryan was okay. Then Ryan told us he had disclosed horrific abuse on to officials. He said he felt unheard. He said meetings weren’t private. That completely shattered our confidence.’
Radha Stirling, founding father of Detained in Dubai, said: ‘The Foreign Office continues counting on reassurances obtained in environments where detainees could also be terrified to talk truthfully.
‘British officials cannot meaningfully assess torture allegations if meetings are monitored by the identical authorities accused of abuse.’
She continued: ‘British residents are walking blindly right into a system that the UK government knows carries serious risks of arbitrary detention and abuse.
‘The family say they at the moment are living in constant fear that Ryan will change into one other British casualty of the UAE detention system.’
Although Ryan has no idea why he was arrested, Stirling says that he was detained alongside about 15 people.
She claimed that sometimes authorities arrest dozens of individuals as they investigate one issue, leaving some innocent people in prison for lengthy periods of time.
The Foreign Office and the United Arab Emirates embassy in London have been contacted for comment.
Get in contact with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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