British Man Called Doha Hotel "Unsafe" After His Wife Was Harassed. What Happened Next Was Wild

A British man was jailed and deported from Qatar after raising concerns about the alleged sexual harassment of his wife at a luxury hotel in Doha, a report from the Telegraph has emerged. The absurd case dates back to June 2025, when Craig Barratt and his wife Sarah travelled to Doha for their honeymoon shortly after their wedding in New York. The couple were staying at the Ritz-Carlton Doha when the incident occurred.

What exactly happened?

While Craig was away in Riyadh for work, Sarah was approached at the hotel pool by two men who initially asked for help taking photographs. The interaction quickly escalated, with one of the men allegedly asking for her room number and making explicit remarks that she interpreted as a threat of sexual assault. Distressed, she immediately contacted her husband.

Craig reported the incident to hotel management and requested that staff avoid contacting his wife directly. According to his account, the hotel initially acknowledged the complaint, citing CCTV evidence and assuring the couple that the men had been removed from the premises. The hotel's general manager, Carlo Javakhia, also sent an apology to Sarah for the "inappropriate behaviour."

However, the situation took a turn when the same men were reportedly seen again at the hotel just two days later. Feeling unsafe, the couple checked out immediately.

Frustrated by what he described as inconsistent responses from the hotel, Craig later confronted the management and proceeded to escalate a formal complaint to Marriott senior leadership via WhatsApp. He also posted a negative review on TripAdvisor, warning that the property was "unsafe for women."

"Not safe for Western women. Local predators are allowed to harass guests with impunity. Security staff are instructed not to intervene, and the hotel management conspires with police to allow men to treat women as they wish. Such a horrible and terrifying shame for an otherwise great hotel," the review read, which was removed within days.

Legal Consequences and Detention

Soon after, the hotel filed a criminal defamation complaint against him under Qatar's cybercrime laws, citing both the review and his private messages. In February 2025, Craig was convicted in absentia and sentenced to one week in prison, fined QAR 20,000 (around 4,000 pounds), and ordered to be deported.

Sarah and Craig pursued legal recourse through Qatar's judicial system, first appealing to the Court of Appeal and later to the country's highest court, the Court of Cassation. Despite the ongoing case, Craig continued travelling to Qatar for work with official permission.

The situation escalated when Craig was detained and placed in the back of an SUV, driven at speed across Doha to an undisclosed location. He was held for four nights, beginning in what he described as a small, dirty, and freezing enclosure shared with around fifteen other men. The next day, he was handcuffed and transferred to a detention centre, where he spent three additional nights. During this time, his wife Sarah, his Qatari lawyer, and officials from the British Embassy were unable to determine his whereabouts.

He was eventually located on the fourth day, when British consular staff were able to visit him. Later that same day, authorities deported him from the country and handed him a five-year ban from entering Qatar.

The ban has had significant professional consequences for Craig, whose work as a healthcare consultant involves the region. The case has since sparked debate over the risks faced by foreign nationals navigating local laws, particularly in cases involving public criticism and online speech.