British comedian Cerys Nelmes has landed back in the UK after being trapped in Turkey for five months following a Zara shoplifting accusation.
Nelmes, 47, was accused of stealing £110 worth of clothes from a Zara store in Istanbul on July 22, after garments were allegedly found stuffed inside her backpack.
She was initially facing three years behind bars but her ordeal came to an end on Tuesday when a Turkish judge overturned her travel ban and granted her permission to return to the UK.
The comedian landed at Bristol airport yesterday and burst into tears as she was met by three close friends at arrivals.
Nelmes has insisted the accusation was a misunderstanding, claiming she absentmindedly left the store before ringing up her purchases in the summer.
She claimed she returned to the store to hand back the items and offered to pay, but was instead detained, locked in a room for hours without explanation, and eventually arrested for shoplifting.
CCTV of the moment showed Nelmes wearing a light blue dress, browsing around the shop with an armful of clothes on hangers.
Since the in-store CCTV was not timestamped, the timeline is not fully clear but in another clip she is seen walking holding a yellow dress.
Cerys Nelmes has landed back in the UK after being trapped in Turkey for five months following a Zara shoplifting accusation
CCTV of the moment showed Nelmes wearing a light blue dress, browsing around the shop with an armful of clothes on hangers
Since the in-store CCTV was not timestamped, the timeline is not fully clear but in another clip she is seen walking holding a yellow dress
After a quick glance around as she exits, Nelmes stands directly outside the store for several moments while appearing to type or browse on her phone
Later footage shows her leaving the store while appearing to be distracted by her phone but with no clothes in hand – having allegedly forgotten that there were 6,000 lira (£110) of items in her white backpack.
After a quick glance around as she exits, Nelmes stands directly outside the store for several moments while appearing to type or browse on her phone.
A Zara staff member eventually approaches and asks her and another woman to go back inside.
Nelmes and the other woman then return to the store without argument.
The mother-of-one said she was then taken to a police station, pressured to sign documents in a language she could not read, and held in a cell for 24 hours with no food, toilet or water.
Speaking to The Sun she said she was forced into a car with three men and made to lie in the boot during her journey to the police station.
Once she was in custody she claimed she was not given food for 24hours and only after eight hours of begging, was she given water.
She told the newspaper that the toilet was a hole in the ground, and that she had to strip down to hose herself clean after every use.
‘My bed had bugs and all sorts in it, it was just horrible,’ she said.
Nelmes, who once played a paramedic in medical drama Casualty, said at the time: ‘I was told they didn’t understand me.’
The next day, she was brought before a judge who released her but banned her from leaving the country.
She later told fans on social media: ‘I’m ok and have been taken in by a Turkish family who gave me food and a bed.’
Her acting roles have included Casualty and JK Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy.
Alongside her comedy performances, she also made headlines in April 2019 when she saved a fellow diner from choking at a restaurant before a gig.
A Zara staff member eventually approaches and asks her and another woman to go back inside
The mother-of-one said she was then taken to a police station, pressured to sign documents in a language she could not read, and held in a cell for 24 hours with no food, toilet or water
Reflecting on her ordeal, Nelmes told The Sun: ‘As a British citizen it should not be allowed for me to be treated in such an inhumane manner. I will never be the same’
The comedian was grabbing a bite to eat in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, when she performed the Heimlich manoeuvre to dislodge a prawn that was stuck in a woman’s throat.
In a post on social media speaking about her detention and subsequent stranding in Turkey at the time, she said: ‘On Tuesday I left a Zara store in Istanbul without paying for items.
‘I returned straight away and handed the items to staff. I was asked to pay and I said I would and the manager accepted this.
‘To cut a long story short I was then 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.’
Reflecting on her ordeal, Nelmes told The Sun: ‘As a British citizen it should not be allowed for me to be treated in such an inhumane manner. I will never be the same.’
