Antonia Bettridge: British personal trainer detained in Dubai after being caught in UK with £8k of criminal cash two years ago
A British personal trainer has been arrested in Dubai – two years after she was convicted for stashing £8,000 of criminal cash in the UK.
Antonia Bettridge, from St Helens, moved to the United Arab Emirates to start a new life shortly after being convicted of possession of criminal property in 2023. It is unclear why she has been arrested in Dubai, but the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) confirmed her detention to the Liverpool Echo.
The woman, now in her mid-twenties, was found with £8,000 hidden in her glove box on December 22, 2021. Police pulled over the then 21-year-old on the M62 near Warrington, where she claimed that she had no money on her.
But when officers searched her handbag, they discovered £610 of criminal cash. They then discovered the small fortune of £8,000 stashed in her glove box.
Bettridge had driven roughly three hours and around 170 miles to Gordano Services on the M5 near Bristol, before making the long journey home. She walked free from court after admitting possessing criminal property but was slapped with a 12-month community order.
It mandated her to do up to 30 days and 75 hours of unpaid work. She was also handed a hefty £1,200 bill in legal costs.
Social media posts suggest she made the switch to the Arabian Peninsula soon after to work as a personal trainer and events planner. Emigrants with a criminal record must produce a certificate of good conduct when obtaining a Dubai work visa, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
An FCDO spokesperson told The Sun: “We are supporting a British woman detained in the UAE and are in contact with the local authorities.”