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Billy Hood (born 27 November 1996) is a Semi-professional footballer and coach from London, England. Hood played for Rising Ballers F.C. in the Combined Counties Football League from 2014-2019. In January 2021, Hood, who was in the United Arab Emirates for work, was pulled over by the police who discovered small bottles of the oil derived from cannabis and a vape pen in his car. He was convicted of drug trafficking with intent to supply by a court and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. The sentence has since been reduced to 10 years, however, Hood's family are currently appealing to get the sentence reduced further.

Biography

Billy Hood was born on 27 November 1996 and was grew up in Ladbroke Grove, West London. He attended Queens Park Community School along with professional footballers Tafari Moore and Osman Kakay. He became a semi-professional footballer and played for Kensington & Ealing Borough F.C.. Hood moved to Dubai in 2019 where he worked as a football coach for children.

Arrest and Imprisonment

On January 31 2021, Hood was approached by police while getting his belongings out of his vehicle. Hood assumed they mistaken him for someone else and agreed to do a drugs test, which came back negative, and gave them permission to search his car and apartment. the officers discovered small bottles of the oil derived from cannabis, which is illegal in the UAE, and a vape pen in his car. Hood told officers that these belonged to a friend of his from England who had been visiting, however, he was apprehended and taken to Dubai's CID headquarters.

He was sentenced to the maximum 25 years in prison in October 2021. According to The National newspaper, a life sentence in the UAE consists of a maximum of 25 years in jail, followed by deportation for non-Emiratis. After his sentencing, Hood claimed that he was forced to sign false confession in Arabic, a language he cannot speak and was refused a translator. An official statement from the UAE denied any unfair treatment and that Billy Hood had the right to appeal. Radha Stirling, chief executive of Detained in Dubai, is working with Hood's family on the case. She called on Sheikh Mohammed, the vice president and prime minister of the UAE, as well as the government of Dubai, to release Hood.

On 10 November 2021, it was reported that Hood went missing. The family had lost contact with Hood and were unable to reach him for 10 days. It was then reported that he was placed in Solitary confinement.

Reactions

Hood's local MP, Felicity Buchan, also supported the release of Billy Hood. She confirmed the FCDO team will will attend cases that have gained significant media attention but otherwise will provide a list of local lawyers in regards to the case. Despite the, Hood's family have argued that UK government has done "nothing" to help free him in which the Foreign Office responded to say that Hood is receiving consular support. Author Toni Tone and rapper Digga D took to social media to show their support of releasing Billy Hood.

Appeals and Protest

Hood's family started a GoFundMe page which raised £20,000. The fundraiser was used for legal fees regarding the case. Mohammad Al Najjar has taken on the case. Hood's parents and friend also appeared on Good Morning Britain on 14 October to plea for support in bringing Billy Hood home. The hashtag #FreeBillyHood was also trending on Twitter.

Radha Stirling and Breda Guckion also hosted an appeal for Billy Hood on BBC Radio 5 Live on 30 November, 2021. As a result, Hood had his sentence reduced from 25 years down to 10 years. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was "giving consular support to a British man who has been imprisoned in the UAE". the reduction in sentencing was a result from the appeal led by Hood's family and friends. New legislation in the UAE eliminate prison sentences for foreigners found in possession and allows them to be deported. Hood's team is aiming for this result.

On 16 October 2021, protestors gathered in Parliament Square to get the government to appeal for his 25-year prison sentence to be dropped. Radha Stirling had also set up a petition to the UK government to increase travel warnings to the UAE based on ongoing and repeated unfair detentions.

References

1. ^ "Football Coach From UK Jailed For 25 Years In Dubai For Possession Of CBD Oil". Complex.
2. ^ "British football coach jailed for 25 years in Dubai over cannabis oil found in car". The Independent. October 13, 2021.
3. "UK student Matthew Hedges jailed for life in UAE for 'spying'". news.com.au. 22 November 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
4. ^ "Billy Hood: Man sentenced to 25 years in Dubai over cannabis oil 'hoping and praying' for release". Sky News.
5. "UAE says British man arrested for possession of synthetic cannabis oil has right of appeal". The National. October 16, 2021.
6. King, Lorraine; James, John (November 10, 2021). "Billy Hood's family 'fear worst' after losing contact with him in UAE jail". MyLondon.
7. "Family Of British Footballer Jailed For CBD In Dubai Say He Is Uncontactable". www.ladbible.com.
8. James, John (November 24, 2021). "Londoner locked in 'cockroach-infested Abu Dhabi hell hole' for 25th birthday". MyLondon.
9. Dubai, Detained in (October 18, 2021). "Lawyers mount vigorous defence in Billy Hood appeal". Radha Stirling.
10. "Lawyers mount vigorous defence in Billy Hood appeal". menafn.com.
11. "Billy Hood's family say UK government has not helped them". BBC News. 19 April 2022.
12. https://twitter.com/t0nit0ne/status/1448201234222047234?s=20
13. "Login • Instagram". www.instagram.com. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
14. "Lawyers mount vigorous defence in Billy Hood appeal". detained-in-dubai.prowly.com.
15. "Good Morning Britain - Mother Whose Son Has Been Jailed in Dubai for 25 Years Makes Emotional Plea For Help" – via www.itv.com.
16. "BBC 5 Live - Billy Hood Appeal with Radha Stirling and Breda Guckion - Detained in Dubai over CBD by Gulf in Justice".
17. "Billy Hood: Football coach's Dubai jail term cut to 10 years". December 1, 2021 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
18. "Brit jailed in Dubai over CBD vape oil has sentence cut from 25 years to 10". ITV News. December 1, 2021.
19. "Billy Hood: Briton jailed in Dubai for possessing CBD vape oil has term cut from 25 years to 10 - despite new laws allowing for deportation". Sky News.
20. "Family and friends of Brit charged with possessing CBD vape oil in Dubai protest against 25 year prison sentence". uk.sports.yahoo.com.
21. "Protestors head to Parliament Square for Billy Hood". detained-in-dubai.prowly.com.
22. Limited, Alamy. "London, UK. Family and friends of British man Billy Hood gather to protest against his 25-year long sentence for possessing CBD vape oil in Dubai Stock Photo - Alamy". www.alamy.com. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)

Category:British people imprisoned abroad Category:Prisoners and detainees of the United Arab Emirates