AN IRISHMAN WHO faced possible jail time in the United Arab Emirates after being accused of sending “threatening” emojis to a Belgian man has been freed and is on a flight home to Ireland.

The advocacy group Detained in Dubai said they are “absolutely ecstatic that the nightmare is over”.

Stuart Quiney, a 39-year-old property renovator from Laragh in Co Wicklow, travelled to Dubai in September and was subject to a travel ban due to the “threatening” emojis.

The text messages were sent while Quiney was in Ireland, before he landed in Dubai.

Quiney said the Belgian man he sent the emojis to had taken his possessions without permission.

Quiney said he travelled to Dubai with a friend in January 2022, and was introduced to the Belgian man who helped his friend to get an apartment in Dubai.

He stayed with his friend for two months and intended to return a week later to spend more time with his friend. 

Quiney said he left some of his belongings in the apartment, but that while both he and his friend were away, the Belgian let himself into the apartment and removed all of their personal belongings without permission.

Among these items were sentimental gifts from Quiney’s late grandmother.

Detained in Dubai said Quiney said multiple legal letters, all of which were ignored.

Quiney returned to Ireland and found his grandmother was suffering from dementia.

He said this hit him very hard and that he “dealt with the pain by drinking alcohol”.

Radha Stirling, the founder of Detained in Dubai, said: “In a drunken state, Quiney must have remembered the theft of his other grandmother’s gift, reached for his phone and sent some emojis (eg. a ninja man and blood drop) to the Belgian.”

When Quiney next arrived in Dubai on the 6 September, he was immediately taken into custody, transported to Al Barsha police station and told he could not leave the country, according to Detained in Dubai.

The advocacy group added that Quiney was advised he could face several years in prison under strict laws that prohibit rude, offensive or threatening text messages.

Stirling said it was “touch and go but after an intense few weeks of work, we were able to get Stuart home with just a AED 10,000 (€2,585) fine”.

“The public should be aware that Stuart was lucky to get away without going to prison,” Stirling added.

“His ordeal could have been prevented had he instructed a UAE Police Check before travel and we’d encourage repeat visitors to investigate their status before booking.”

She added that the UAE applies its laws extraterritorially, “so visitors can be charged with online communication made from outside the country, even years before travelling to the Emirates”.

Quiney said “it’s been an emotional rollercoaster” and he is due to land in Dublin this evening, in time to spend Christmas at home with his family.

Stuart Quiney safely onboard 🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/0tg9An55e8

— Radha Stirling (@RadhaStirling) December 18, 2024

Meanwhile, Stirling said the work of Detained in Dubai will continue throughout the holiday period.

She pointed to the case of Tyrone man Craig Ballentine, who she said was charged over a negative Google review he left about a former employer in Dubai.

“He was then sentenced to a fine but the prosecution appealed, they want a harsher sentence which is absolutely ridiculous for a review,” said Stirling.

“The UAE shouldn’t allow local companies to even request reviews if they are going to jail people for their honesty.”