A man who took his children from their mother and left them with relatives in Libya has been given another jail term after a judge concluded that he was again in contempt of court.
Mr Justice Nigel Poole imposed a 12-month prison sentence on Mohammed El Zubaidy on Monday after finding he had breached orders made during the latest round of a High Court fight with his estranged wife, Tanya Borg.
The judge imposed the sentence at a hearing in the family division of the High Court, in London.
He heard evidence at a hearing in mid-November and adjourned sentencing.
El Zubaidy was at Monday's hearing and was led away in handcuffs by High Court officers.
Ms Borg, of Pewsey, Wiltshire, has been fighting to get Angel El Zubaidy, now 21, and her sister Maya, 10, back to Britain since he left them with his mother in Tripoli in 2015.
She took High Court action in London after her daughters' disappearance and judges have handed El Zubaidy, who lives in London, jail terms after concluding he had breached orders aimed at getting the daughters back to the UK.
He was given a 12-month term in 2017 and another in 2018.
Mr Poole has heard how Ms Borg and El Zubaidy are both in their 40s and met two decades ago. He heard that Ms Borg, who was born in Malta, travelled to Libya in 2019.
A Libyan judge ruled that she should have custody of her daughters.
But a barrister representing her told Mr Poole that she still could not remove her daughters from Libya without El Zubaidy's permission.
Clare Renton said he had to give that permission by signing a document at the Libyan embassy and a judge in London this year made orders requiring him to do that.
Ms Renton said he had not complied with orders and was in contempt. Mr Poole agreed.
"It is frankly cruel to leave them stranded in Libya," he said on Monday. "His conduct has been consistently and wilfully defiant over a number of years."
The judge said El Zubaidy had "arrogantly" placed his own judgment above the judgment of Ms Borg and successive High Court judges.
"He appears not to recognise the authority of the courts, in this jurisdiction or in Libya," Mr Poole said.
"He has blatantly defied the court. I find it difficult to understand why."
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Transmission: 8-speed auto
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You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
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On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad
Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym
Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
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The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
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