Jerry Dowling was put behind bars in early 2013
A Queensland glass specialist under house arrest north of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates is desperately trying to raise money to fight his detention through the courts
Jerry Dowling, 73, was thrown behind bars in early 2013 after returning to the UAE from a business trip to Europe, where he was securing contracts to sell bullet-proof glass to armoured vehicle manufacturers
Before departing, he had signed over power of attorney to a trusted Lebanese employee who he claims later stole all the profits from his business and fled the country
“The total amount of money that was siphoned off would be in excess of five million dirham ($1.8 million),” he told 7.30 from his home in Ras Al Khaimah
“In other words, he took the revenue but left us with the liabilities”
At least 10 blank cheques made out to suppliers and bearing Mr Dowling’s signature bounced as a result, triggering a number of criminal charges against the Australian
He spent months in various prisons and became seriously ill
“You’re literally cheek to jowl with your fellow prisoners. No mattress, just a concrete floor,” he said
“This is definitely where I got the pneumonia and subsequently pleurisy”
Mr Dowling’s son Mike, who lives in Brisbane, remembers seeing a photograph of his father in hospital
“I didn’t recognise him,” he said
“I had to hand the phone to one of my daughters and say, ‘Does that look like Gramps to you?’”
Mr Dowling was eventually placed under house arrest after obtaining a medical certificate stating he could not be confined to small spaces
His lawyers abandoned him when he went broke and he is now relying on handouts from his family in Australia and the United Kingdom
Mike Dowling fears his frail father could die there