The father of a highly decorated ex-Royal Marine reservist being held in Dubai has said his son is a “victim of hostage diplomacy”.
Former lance corporal Matt Croucher has reportedly been held in Dubai for seven months after being charged with “illegally accessing a telecommunications network” in the UAE, The Times newspaper reported.
Croucher is the most highly decorated Royal Marine to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan having been awarded the George Cross for bravery in 2008 after saving his comrades’ lives by throwing himself on a grenade in Afghanistan.
The 40-year-old, who now works as a security consultant, has reportedly been banned from leaving Dubai since being arrested there seven months ago while out with friends during a business trip.
His father Richard Croucher, who lives in Stockfield, Birmingham, has now told The Times his son is a victim of what he termed “hostage diplomacy”.
“We just want him back,” Mr Croucher told the newspaper, reportedly breaking down in tears.
“He’s already used up all of his nine lives in Afghanistan. We are really worried. We don’t want this to be the worst outcome and for him to face a death sentence or something.”
The retired teacher, 71, said his son had been accused by Dubai authorities of “petty offences” including a traffic fine.
He was reportedly arrested while in Dubai on business on November 4 last year and jailed for four days before being released under investigation.
The Times reports he was questioned over his links to the Ministry of Defence.
He has since been released but has reportedly been barred from leaving the UAE, and has had his passport confiscated.
His father told the Times: “The authorities [later] suggested there was a traffic offence that he had a fine he hadn’t paid off… but of course, even then, it doesn’t make him a spy. It’s just another excuse to keep him in the country.
“It makes me really emotional to think about,” he added. “It’s painful.
“He isn’t involved in espionage, he isn’t a spy or linked to MI5.
“It is like he is being held hostage — a hostage of diplomacy maybe. I mean, we can’t see any other reason, if they’ve deemed he’s not a threat and is free to roam around, why he’s being held there.”
Mr Croucher said his son’s business has suffered and he has “lost some big jobs”. He added that he and his wife Margaret, 71, are having to cover the rent on their son’s UK home.
“It’s been really hard on us,” he said. “He doesn’t want to be stuck over there. He did spend a lot of time in Dubai and he was very happy.”
Croucher lived in Dubai from 2014 to 2021 working with the authorities on "security-related matters", the Times reported.
Croucher won the George Cross - the highest honour for courage on the battlefield not "in the face of the enemy" after smothering an explosion during a raid on a Taliban compound with his backpack.
This allowed the rest of his patrol to escape the blast.
He is one of only 22 living recipients of the medal, with only 406 ever having been awarded.
An FCDO spokesperson said: “We are supporting a British man in the UAE and are in contact with the local authorities.”
