Huge support for Tori Towey fundraiser following her Dubai ordeal
Tori Towey pictured on the day she arrived home with Casper the dog. Pic. Towey family
A GoFundMe page set up to help Roscommon woman Tori Towey to clear her financial debt following her traumatic ordeal in Dubai has raised more than €8,500 to date.
Tori had been trapped in the United Arab Emirates after being charged with attempted suicide and alcohol abuse, and served with a travel ban after police found her distraught in her own home.
She arrived home in Ireland on Thursday last after the charges were dropped.
The GoFundMe page was set up at the weekend by a family member with a target of €10,000. To date, it has raised more than €8,500 to help the 28-year-old get her life back on track.
Organisers explained: “We are the family of Tori Towey. What started out as a hopeful journey for Tori has turned out to be a living nightmare. She fell victim to physical and psychological abuse and financial control. We have got her home but she is left bearing not only scars of abuse but also the heavy burden of credit card and car loan debt. She lost her car along with many other possessions. We will help Tori through the trauma. We are asking for help in clearing the debt Tori unjustly finds herself in. Any remaining funds will go to DIVAS and Radha Stirling from Detained in Dubai.”
Tori arrived back to her County Roscommon home last Thursday but is still haunted by her harrowing time in detention with memories of the primitive conditions and the women she met there.
She was fortunate to have rung her mother prior to all her possessions being taken from her after which she was subject to a strip search and left with no idea of what was going on.
However, her mother was able to get in touch with local Deputy Claire Kerrane who immediately contacted Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald who raised the case in the Dail.
This prompted Taoiseach Simon Harris to take immediate action and within a day the charges were dropped against Ms Towey and she was allowed to fly home.
The GoFundME page can be accessed online by searching for 'Justice for Tori Towey'.
