Lee Andrews has made a series of allegations since he left Al-Awir prison, where he was initially charged with espionage but later admitted he was imprisoned on a civil case.
Lee Andrews has caused quite a stir(Image: wesleeeandrews/Instagram)
At the start of this year. Lee Andrews was just a ‘businessman’ in Dubai that no one had ever heard of – but in just over 20 weeks, the whole of the UK and social media was intrigued by his apparent ‘kidnapping’.
Lee married Katie Price back in January and promised her that world and a perfect love story, but the truth was much darker – and it wasn’t long before more and more came to light about Lee.
From allegations about his business dealings, more than one stint in jail and of course his latest new haircut, we take a look at all the claims he’s made and how things just don’t seem to add up.
Location mystery
Lee, in his first message back from social media, had claimed he was taken “by men at gunpoint” close to the Hatta-Oman border. But something doesn’t seem to add up when Lee mentioned an airport in another video the following day.
“I was taken close to the Hatta-Oman border (an entry and exit point to the United Arab Emirates) by men with pistol shots and then I was captured by men with assault rifles,” he said in a video released on Tuesday.
However, in a video on Thursday, he mentioned that guards had guns at an airport. I’ll say it again — the National Guard who took me in the beginning have guns and they don’t register you as being under arrest,” he said.
“They just take you and hold you and that’s what happened. Anywhere in the world world you go to an airport, they have guns, they patrol the border, and they took me, not in the best way either.”
There is no airport near the Hatta-Oman border crossing, the closest being Muscat Airport – 130 km from the crossing.
Airport ‘lie’
Lee failed to appear for Good Morning Britain’s live interview last month, and as an apology to hosts Ed Balls and Susanna Reidhe filmed a video promising he was at the airport and on his way.
However, the story changed quite a few times, most notably when Lee told his wife Katie that he was unable to fly over as he had some urgent business to attend to. Half an hour later, however, Lee continued to write Instagram to insist that he had not been detained – as a Foreign Office spokesman had said – and was in fact at Muscat Airport.
Ignoring the fact that the airport looked suspiciously like Terminal 2 at Dubai airport, Lee told his followers: “I didn’t Good morning Great Britain. I am not detained. I am at the airport in Muscat, Oman. I was just on the phone to Kate right after her interview and showed that I don’t have a travel ban because I’ve already left the UAE so I wasn’t the one being detained. I don’t know who they called the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Ministry of the Interior. Has a Briton been detained? Definitely not me.”
A flight between Dubai and Muscat takes one hour and 15 minutes, but Lee’s original claim that he was at Muscat Airport makes no sense if he was later ‘taken’ by “an extended arm of the National Guard” at the Hatta-Oman border.
Telephone accident
Katie had been quite clear when announcing Lee’s ‘kidnapping’ that he had told her in a FaceTime call that he was in the back of a van. She told fans that her husband had been kidnapped in Dubai as he prepared to fly to Great Britain to be reunited with her. In a harrowing FaceTime call, Lee informed his wife he was sitting in the back of a van and his hands were tied.
He told Katie that people are “coming” for him. After his release, he went on to claim that he was “handcuffed, shackled and also had a hood over his head” and said he was “taken to a black place and didn’t need his phone”.
While Katie claimed she had heard from Lee and was very concerned about his condition, he claimed he had his “hands tied”, was “chained” and “had a hood over his head” and did not have access to his phone.
Espionage claims
Lee continues to maintain that he was initially accused of espionage before later admitting that he had a civil case in Dubai. Civil cases in the UAE can cover many things, including disputes between landlords and tenants, non-payment for goods and services and legal proceedings seeking compensation for, for example, personal injury or property damage.
In a video after his release, he claimed: “Because of the tensions and things happening in the region and being so close to the border, that’s why I was suspected of espionage and kept in a state security building without the use of a phone and any rights such as a shower, contact or talk to anyone, including the embassy or my wife.
“So thanks to Katie for making such a fuss that the UAE actually listened and let me go. From there I had a civil case in Dubai which led to me going into the general prison during the Arab holiday of Eid and I was able to secure my release.”
It was later claimed that Lee was jailed for thousands of pounds in unpaid debts, including to a law firm. He now has just 14 days to repay the costs, including 266 Dirhams (£54,000) to a care firm, Rotanna Star, dating back to 2022.
The other case, which resulted in Lee’s arrest, is for 74,817.50 Dirhams (£15,000) which he allegedly owes a law firm in the United Arab Emirates, probably unpaid legal fees. Because of Lee’s debt, he had to inform the Dubai CID (Criminal Investigation Department) – but he is not an “actively wanted” man.
Now he has two weeks to find the £69,000 or he could be arrested again and jailed again, it has been reported.
AI claims
While AI detection platform Cyberette says Lee’s latest story post is unlikely to be edited, he has openly used AI in the past, including to share an AI-generated video of him ‘shopping’ in Marks & Spencer or a video of him throwing money at a yacht.
In the clip, Lee larks around aboard a yacht, tossing money around and rocking a huge gold locket. In the clip, which Lee made using an AI app called Sondo, he can be seen singing: “If you ain’t lived in my head. Keep your advice in your head.”
Another defiant lyric sees Lee belt out: “Every compliment hits like a fist full of rocks.” Accompanying Lee in the video is a crowd of fake fans, all jumping along mechanically while throwing confetti into the air.
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