Personal trainer Antonia Bettridge ‘detained in Dubai’

Antonia Bettridge, then 23, refused to name the "friend" she said she was helping after being stopped on the M62 in Warrington.[1] She was handed a 12-month community order, including 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 75 hours of unpaid work. Since her sentence, she went on to live in Dubai, sharing on her social media that she remains a personal trainer in the Middle East as well as working as an events planner.

The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), commonly referred to as the Foreign Office, confirmed that it is supporting a British woman who has been detained in the country. The official statement from the FCDO, added: "We are supporting a British woman detained in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and are in contact with the local authorities." It has not been confirmed why Bettridge has been detained.

Liverpool Crown Court previously heard that Bettridge, formerly of Greenfield Road in Dentons Green, St Helens, was driving a vehicle on the M62 westbound, near to junction nine for Winwick, when she was instructed to follow the police on December 22, 2021. Officers led Bettridge from the motorway to B&Q Winwick and asked her if she was carrying any money in the car. She had some in her handbag and explained that she had been to the Trafford Centre, but during a search of her vehicle, police found around GBP8,000 in the glovebox.

When asked about the money, Bettridge said she understood what was going on and that she did not wish to say anything more. The court heard that the Crown did not know anything more about the underlying offending due to the defendant refusing to provide further information. It was ascertained however that she had driven from the West Country in the south east, visiting Gordano motorway service station at junction 19 of the M5 near Bristol and heading back.

In mitigation, it was said that Bettridge made the journey 'as a favour to a friend' with 'no motivation for personal gain'.

However, the presiding judge interjected that she has not given up the name of the friend to the police and was 'playing her cards close to her chest'.

References

1. ^ Antonia Bettridge, then 23, refused to name the "friend" she said she was helping after being stopped on the M62 in Warrington. (www.warringtonguardian.co.uk)