The family of a young north-east mum are battling to bring her home to the UK after she was jailed in the Middle East for adultery.
Hannah James was arrested as she tried to flee Bahrain amid allegations from her husband Jassim Alhaddar she had cheated on him.
She had accused the father of her young son of beating her up – and spent a month in prison until he “forgave” her.
Images of Ms James circulated on social media showed her covered in bruises.
And her family said the 26-year-old, who previously lived in Fraserburgh, had been surviving on only rice and water while she was in jail and that her passport had been destroyed by her husband.
Her parents, Shelley and Philip, have launched a campaign to bring her home, and a petition lodged with the UK Government asking for help has been signed more than 9,000 times.
An online fundraising page has also raised about £2,500 to pay for her flight.
Ms James’s mum said her daughter’s situation had been getting “worse and worse” – but when she decided to flee she was arrested over an alleged affair.
She said: “Hannah finally made the decision to leave him (Mr Alhaddar) and Bahrain with her son, with support and help from her family.
“He made it impossible for her to leave as he burned her passport.
“He then went to the police and accused her of having an affair.”
It is understood Ms James had been facing a sentence of between one and five years for adultery – which is a serious crime in a Sharia Muslim culture community.
It is understood Ms James was still in Bahrain last night.
Meanwhile, Mr Alhaddar has denied the allegations against him.
He claims to have only hit his wife because he caught her cheating.
He said he “forgave her but only after hitting her but she fought back too and both of us had bruises”.
He claimed: “She burnt her passport by mistake after an argument, wrongly thinking I was going to send her back without the child.
“She hid her passport in the oven.
“Three days later, she lit the oven, forgetting the hidden passport until it was too late.
“I have forgiven her and the police have released her. I am filing for divorce and the custody of my son.”
Last night, Banff and Buchan MP Eilidh Whiteford said she had made contact with the Foreign Office about the case.
She said: “I’ve been in touch with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to ensure that Hannah James is receiving consular support from the UK authorities, but I cannot comment further at this stage.”
A spokesman for the Foreign Office added: “We are providing support to a British woman following her arrest in Bahrain. We remain in contact with both her family and with the Bahraini authorities.”
