Ryan Cornelius, a British property developer, has spent 18 years in a Dubai prison, missing the birth of his first grandchild and facing serious health issues. His wife, Heather, has said his life is deteriorating and that he may not survive if he isn’t released soon. Cornelius was arrested during a routine stop in Dubai in 2008 while traveling from negotiations in Karachi over an oil refinery project. He was convicted of defrauding the Dubai Islamic Bank by failing to make payments on a loan, a charge he denies. His brother-in-law, Chris Pagett, claims Cornelius and his business partners were actually $10 million ahead of schedule in repaying the loan. In 2018, just two months before his 10-year sentence was set to end, Cornelius was informed that his sentence would be extended by another 20 years. According to the UN Human Rights Council's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the extension was requested by the bank. If he is not released soon, Cornelius will be 84 years old when he is finally free, and his grandson, whom he has never met, would be starting secondary school. On Monday, Heather and Chris delivered a letter to No. 10 Downing Street, urging Prime Minister Andy Burnham to intervene and secure Cornelius’ release. Heather wrote that Burnham’s speech on the Hillsborough Law in July gave her hope, saying his genuine concern for victims of injustice made her believe he would understand what it has felt like to be her. Cornelius’ family has been highly critical of how successive UK governments have handled the case. Chris said the British government’s approach has been “utterly cynical.” He claimed that for the first 14 years, the government ignored the case and did not look into the facts. After the UN investigation, the government occasionally raised the case but took no meaningful action. Chris said he wrote to Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband shortly after his appointment but has yet to receive a response. Alistair Burt, the government envoy for complex consular cases, has offered to meet Heather to discuss the case. In July, a panel of UN experts called on the Emirati government to “release Mr. Cornelius without delay,” citing his age, the length of his detention, his deteriorating health, and reports of inadequate medical care and poor conditions. An FCDO spokesperson said: "The UK Government continues to raise Mr. Cornelius’ case with the UAE authorities and is providing ongoing consular support to him and his family."