British Tourist Jailed in Qatar After Posting Negative TripAdvisor Review
A British consultant was jailed and deported from Qatar after posting a TripAdvisor review warning that a luxury hotel was unsafe for women. The legal battle has left the couple in financial ruin, highlighting Qatar's harsh cyber-defamation laws.
What began as a luxury getaway in Doha has spiraled into a legal and financial nightmare for a British consultant, who found himself imprisoned and deported from Qatar after posting a negative review on TripAdvisor.
The Incident: Harassment at the Pool
The ordeal began in July 2024 during the couple’s stay at the Ritz-Carlton Doha. While Craig was away on business, Sarah reported being verbally harassed and targeted with gender-based slurs by two men while she was at the hotel pool.
Though hotel management assured the couple the men had been removed, Sarah encountered them again in the lobby three days later. Frustrated by the hotel's lack of action, Craig posted a review on TripAdvisor, warning that the hotel was "not safe for Western women" and alleging that "local predators are allowed to harass guests with impunity."
The Legal Backlash: Convicted in Absentia
The hotel responded by filing a criminal complaint for defamation under Qatar's cyber-laws. In June 2025, upon returning to the country for work, Craig discovered he had been convicted in absentia.
His sentence included a week in prison, a fine of approximately £4,000 and a formal deportation order.
The situation escalated last October when Craig was arrested at the airport and transferred to a remote detention facility. He was held for four nights in "filthy and freezing" conditions alongside hundreds of migrant workers. During this time, neither his wife nor the British Embassy were notified of his location.
Financial Ruin and Conflicting Accounts
The saga has left the Barretts in total financial ruin. Following his deportation and a five-year ban from Qatar, Craig’s lucrative work contract was canceled. The couple reports being forced to sell property and facing the potential loss of their home in the UK.
A spokesperson for Marriott (which owns Ritz-Carlton) stated the company has "zero tolerance for harassment." However, they claimed an internal investigation, including a review of security footage, found no evidence to support the Barretts' claims.
The Barretts maintain they have been "gaslit" by the corporation and continue to demand accountability for the destruction of Craig's career and their personal lives.