A stand-up comic has been caught up in a legal nightmare in Turkey, claiming she was arrested and detained after inadvertently leaving a high street shop without paying for goods.
In a tearful Facebook video, Cerys Nelmes recounts how she returned the items to the store “straight away” and offered payment, yet now faces the daunting prospect of a three-year jail term.
Cerys, who swapped her firefighter helmet for a microphone, hails from the Cotswolds and has made a name for herself on the Bristol comedy circuit. She expressed in the video her dread over potentially losing the home she shares with her son if she’s unable to continue working and bringing in an income.
Urging for her ordeal to be publicised, Cerys alleges that during her time at a Turkish police station, she was denied basic amenities like food and access to a lavatory, and when she requested water, she was met with claims from officers ‘pretending not to understand’ her.
The situation escalated after Cerys appeared before a judge, where a translator informed her of the severe sentence she could face.
Cerys explains: “On Tuesday I left a Zara store in Istanbul without paying for items. I returned straight away and handed the items to staff.”, reports Gloucestershire Live.
“I was asked to pay and I said I would, and the manager accepted this.
“To cut a long story short, I was taken to a locked room where hours later after no communication from anyone. I was taken away by police and held in a police station and was asked to sign things I couldn’t read.
“I was put in a prison cell for 24 hours with no food or toilet facilities. When I asked for water, I was told they didn’t understand me.
“I was handcuffed and taken for fingerprints and mugshots at 3am. I was handcuffed and taken to court the following day and put in a cell.
“I appeared before the judge and was told by a translator that I was released, but unable to leave Turkey for an undetermined amount of time. He said I was lucky to not be put in prison but I currently face up to three years.
“I have to report to a local police station every Monday.
“I am lucky I have good friends in Turkey who are currently looking after me, and trying to translate the paperwork.
“I have no money, no earnings coming in from home, and I am running out of important medication.
“I will lose my home which I share with my son, and livelihood.
“I am not looking for sympathy. I made a mistake which I tried to immediately rectify.
“I am embarrassed for my friends, my family, and I have made my 78-year-old mum unwell. I will never forgive myself for what I have done.
“I believe I did it for mental health medical problems, but ultimately there is no excuse.
“Currently I need people to spread my story so I can get home to the UK.
“All I can do to end this video is say I’m sorry.”
The UK Foreign Office has been contacted for comment.