A British businessman who was wrongly imprisoned in Dubai nearly two decades ago by corrupt officials has seen the ordeal destroy much of his life, though his marriage has endured. He was held in the United Arab Emirates' notorious central prison at Al Awir, a high-security facility in the desert outside Dubai that human rights groups have described as an overcrowded "hell-hole" and which has become known as "Dubai's Alcatraz".

The prison, roughly a 45-minute drive from Dubai's glamorous beachfront and skyscrapers, stands in stark contrast to the emirate's glossy public image. According to the report, the businessman was jailed there 18 years ago despite being innocent, and the fallout from his wrongful detention has had a lasting and damaging impact on his life, with his marriage cited as the one constant that has survived the ordeal.