A British expat was sentenced to three months in prison in her absence after witnessing a fight in a Dubai hotel lobby, a campaign group says.

Asa Hutchinson, 22, from Chelmsford, was not present in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) when the sentence for assault was handed out, having left the country in June.

Campaign group Detained in Dubai said she had seen a row between her friends and a man but was not involved.

It's not known when Asa returned to the UK but a spokesman for her legal representatives said today (tue): "She left via the airport and was fortunate not to be flagged."

Asa was convicted in her absence after leaving Dubai when her testimony over the charges was dismissed and she was unable to defend herself in court.

Her lawyers told how she voluntarily went to the police station to help clarify what had occurred and tried to persuade prosecutors that she had simply witnessed the scuffle, and not been directly involved.

Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, said: "Asa, in fact, managed to leave the UAE, and is currently in the UK.

"All of the alleged assailants in this incident were released, but because Asa was living in Dubai, and the Swedish man misidentified her as a participant in the row, she was wrongly charged with the assault.

"Asa has been sentenced in absentia, despite there being no evidence to corroborate the questionable testimony of the alleged victim.

"We are glad that Asa is safe in the UK, but this judgment demonstrates how easily convictions occur in the UAE in the absence of any acceptable standards of due process."

It has become an increasingly common occurrence for foreigners to be convicted in absentia in the UAE, particularly when the evidence against them is weak or non-existent; as they are denied the opportunity to defend themselves.

Ms Stirling added: "There is a culture in the Public Prosecutor's office of securing convictions by any means necessary.

"We frequently see forced and false confessions, and the complete dismissal of testimony and evidence for the defence. Asa's case is yet another example of this.

"While she is certainly better off being in the UK; Asa is innocent of the allegations her and should never have been forced to leave the UAE, where she was building a life for herself.

"A conviction in absentia can often lead to an extradition request by the Emirates, and an Interpol Red Notice; so even though Asa is fortunate to not be in jail right now, she is still likely to suffer the consequences of the UAE's deeply flawed and biased legal system.

"We have been in touch with Asa's family, and while they are glad that she is home, the whole situation has been immensely taxing, emotionally and financially, for everyone."

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said: "Our staff assisted a British woman who was arrested and subsequently released in Dubai. We were in contact with the local authorities to follow the progress of her case."