Brooke George, a 23-year-old TikTok influencer from Gravesend, Kent, could be executed by firing squad if convicted of stabbing fellow Brit Bill Treeby to death in Dubai — a man who had previously been convicted of attacking a woman and was awaiting trial for plotting to supply cocaine.
The former John Lewis shop assistant, who has about 100,000 followers on TikTok, claims she acted in self-defence after Treeby, 26, repeatedly punched her in the face when she asked for her passport back. She had travelled to the UAE after meeting him on Facebook, where he organised a photoshoot. Her first visit lasted about a week and she described it as “the time of my life”.
“Brooke George, 23, faces execution by firing squad in Dubai after stabbing Bill Treeby, a man with a history of violence and awaiting cocaine trial.”
But during her second trip in June, she alleges his behaviour changed dramatically. She says he booked her a one-way ticket, confiscated her passport and attacked her when she demanded its return. After an evening out, an altercation broke out at his luxury apartment. She claims she was repeatedly assaulted and reached for a kitchen knife to defend herself.
George arranged a flight home with help from friends, but was arrested in the early hours of June 22 at Dubai International Airport. She claims she was denied a lawyer and forced to strip naked in front of male officers — an experience she described as “deeply humiliating and distressing”, breaking down in tears when recounting it to her family.
In a statement released through Detained in Dubai, her mother, Thereza, said: “The daughter I spoke to that night was utterly terrified. I firmly believe she was desperately trying to get home and away from whatever had happened to her.”
Treeby, from Rainham, Kent, had been convicted of unlawful wounding and common assault at Maidstone Crown Court in December 2023, in relation to an attack on a woman and a man. He was sentenced to 14 months in prison, suspended for two years. He was also due to stand trial next year at the same court, charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine after police seized class A drugs, cash and cannabis worth £80,000 as part of a Kent Police investigation.
The Treeby family has been struck by tragedy before. Bill’s father Jack, 43, was murdered by his own brother and nephews in December 2009. Jack was involved in a property row with older brother Bill, 50, and his sons George, 23, and Billy, 30, accusing them of “grassing” him up over benefit claims. The trio mowed Jack down in a deliberate hit-and-run with a Range Rover near Maidstone. They were all found guilty of murder; Billy and George were sentenced to life, and Bill killed himself in prison before sentencing.
Bill Treeby’s widow Karen, who had already lost her husband, paid tribute on Facebook: “My darling son, I’m broken. Rest in forever peace, my Bill. You will be so missed and loved by us all. We will never forget you and will keep your memory alive always.” His sister Ester wrote: “He was not only my brother but my best friend. I love you, my Bill. Forever 26.”
George is being held at the Bur Dubai police station while the death is investigated. The 23-year-old could face death by firing squad if found guilty.