The British mum who was thrown in jail abroad after celebrating her boyfriend's new Turkey teeth a little too wildly has issued an update on her situation.
We've seen an increasing number of British people running into problems abroad, but their problems are usually related to drugs, rather than a new set of pearly whites.
In the last few months alone, we've seen several young people face serious sentences abroad, while another mum is reportedly facing a firing squad in Bali after being accused of being a drug mule.
In the case of Georgia Harrison, a 32-year-old from Rochdale, it was blacking out after mixing medication and alcohol while celebrating boyfriend Arron's new set of teeth, before damaging their hotel room in Antalya, Turkey and smashing the shower screen, something she describes as 'the biggest mistake of her life'.
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She and Arron had initially fled the hotel, but were arrested by police before they could hop on a plane home, and spent one day behind bars.
"Anyway it's done, I can't change it, but wow am I paying for it," the cleaner wrote on a GoFundMe page, which also suggests that she's being asked to pay £15k to the hotel, with the British embassy supposedly unable to help.
After allegedly being thrown in a prison cell, Georgia has now issued an update on Facebook, while her family have also urged people to donate to the GoFundMe after posting a viral video on TikTok, in which they claim hotel staff would have 'tortured' the couple, had the taxi driver not called the police.
She said: "All I know is I’ve done it. I’m sorry I was scared and I just tried to get away from it by trying to leave. Yes it was the wrong thing to do but I was scared and not thinking straight maybe if I didn’t I [wouldn't] be in this mess. I know only I am to blame and my actions are the reason I cannot see my daughter. But there’s also so much to it also which is what is actually keeping me [here]. I was REFUSED A LAWYER in the police station and court as they didn’t have an English speaking one available."
She clarified that she's been stuck in Turkey for nearly two months now, and that could quickly turn into six months unless something can be agreed.
In cases where British people are in custody or prison for committing a crime abroad, they can seek help from the embassy, but Georgia is seemingly stuck in limbo right now, with her lawyer now advising her that she shouldn't be paying £15k to the hotel in damages.
She also alleged that her translator 'lied' to try and earn more money, which she thinks has delayed proceedings, as she was ready to pay the damages to the hotel.
Georgia added: "I’ve tried to pay I’ve tried to resolve it I don’t deserve to be kept from my family and daughter for this long I’m not a drug smuggler or a bank robber I made a mistake what else can I say I’m sorry but more than anything I am so ashamed that the whole wide world is reading this about me but it is what it is I have to do everything I can try to do to get home to my daughter."
The TikTok video posted by Georgia's sister also claims that the damage to the hotel room totalled just £1k, but a travel ban is in place until Georgia can shell out 15 times that.
Topics: Crime, GoFundMe, Social Media, Travel
James Moorhouse