EXCLUSIVE Brit mum, 32, thrown in Turkish jail 'with hundreds of men' and hit with £15k bill after smashing hotel shower screen while drunkenly celebrating boyfriend's new veneers
A British mum has been held in Turkey for the last six weeks and hit with a £15,000 bill after smashing a hotel shower screen following a drunken night out to celebrate her boyfriend's new teeth.
Georgia Harrison, 32, was arrested alongside partner Arron Tighe, 32, after trying to leave the Lexia Hotel in Antalya, Turkey, on May 7.
The day before Georgia and Arron, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, had downed cocktails and vodka and lemonades during a boozy night out to toast his new £2,000 full veneers.
Cleaner Georgia says she made 'the worst mistake of my life' that night by mixing booze with antipsychotic medication which caused her to black out and 'throw things around' in the room, shattering a full length glass bathroom screen.
She said: 'It's driving me insane, I feel like I have got no way out of here.
'I know I did wrong and I regret being so stupid to have damaged the hotel, but I need to get home to my daughter.
'I just feel so weak and I'm getting nowhere, it's killing me.
'I understand I have done wrong but I'm not a bank robber or a drug smuggler - I made a stupid mistake, I don't even remember doing it, but I have done all I can to fix it.'
When they woke up after breaking the glass the couple panicked and tried to catch a taxi to the airport but the car was chased by hotel staff and surrounded before they were arrested by the police.
They were held in a police cell for several days, questioned without a lawyer, accused of resisting arrest because she refused to answer questions.
They were later hauled before a judge and banned from leaving the country until they pay the hotel £15,000 - a sum she doesn't have.
They contacted the British Embassy who said they couldn't help lift the ban and advised them to find a lawyer. They paid £2,500 to one who promised to get the ban lifted but six weeks later they are still unable to leave.
Mum-of-one Georgia says she is heartbroken when daughter Poppy, 12, keeps calling to ask her when she is coming home and has launched a GoFundMe appeal to help pay the bill so she can fly home.
She estimates she has had to spend a further £7,000 on hotels, taxis and living expenses while detained in Turkey and is close to running out of money.
In desperation to get back to her daughter she has even tried to book another flight and catch a boat to Greece to escape but was stopped each time when her passport was checked.
She said: 'It's heartbreaking, she doesn't understand why I can't come home. Sometimes I think I'm never going to get back to her.'
On the GoFundMe page, Georgia wrote: 'I feel so ashamed writing this but my daughter needs me and this is my only hope.
'I feel like giving up but that's not me, yet I also feel so lucky to be alive.
'I put all faith in my lawyer giving him my power of attorney but l'm getting nowhere. I'm losing everything slowly, even my will to live.
'I just need to get home to my baby and my dog. I don't understand how such a stupid mistake has led me here.
'It is illegal for them to keep me here and I've no option but to start telling my story.'
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Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Brit mum, 32, thrown in Turkish jail 'with hundreds of men' and hit with £15k bill after smashing hotel shower screen while drunkenly celebrating boyfriend's new veneers
A British mum has been held in Turkey for the last six weeks and hit with a £15,000 bill after smashing a hotel shower screen following a drunken night out to celebrate her boyfriend's new teeth. Georgia Harrison, 32, was arrested alongside partner Arron Tighe, 32, after trying to leave the Lexia Hotel in Antalya, Turkey, on May 7. The day before Georgia and Arron, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, had downed cocktails and vodka and lemonades during a boozy night out to toast his new £2,000 full veneers. Cleaner Georgia says she made 'the worst mistake of my life' that night by mixing booze with antipsychotic medication which caused her to black out and 'throw things around' in the room, shattering a full length glass bathroom screen. She said: 'It's driving me insane, I feel like I have got no way out of here. 'I know I did wrong and I regret being so stupid to have damaged the hotel, but I need to get home to my daughter. 'I just feel so weak and I'm getting nowhere, it's killing me. 'I understand I have done wrong but I'm not a bank robber or a drug smuggler - I made a stupid mistake, I don't even remember doing it, but I have done all I can to fix it.' When they woke up after breaking the glass the couple panicked and tried to catch a taxi to the airport but the car was chased by hotel staff and surrounded before they were arrested by the police. They were held in a police cell for several days, questioned without a lawyer, accused of resisting arrest because she refused to answer questions. They were later hauled before a judge and banned from leaving the country until they pay the hotel £15,000 - a sum she doesn't have. They contacted the British Embassy who said they couldn't help lift the ban and advised them to find a lawyer. They paid £2,500 to one who promised to get the ban lifted but six weeks later they are still unable to leave. Mum-of-one Georgia says she is heartbroken when daughter Poppy, 12, keeps calling to ask her when she is coming home and has launched a GoFundMe appeal to help pay the bill so she can fly home. She estimates she has had to spend a further £7,000 on hotels, taxis and living expenses while detained in Turkey and is close to running out of money. In desperation to get back to her daughter she has even tried to book another flight and catch a boat to Greece to escape but was stopped each time when her passport was checked. She said: 'It's heartbreaking, she doesn't understand why I can't come home. Sometimes I think I'm never going to get back to her.' On the GoFundMe page, Georgia wrote: 'I feel so ashamed writing this but my daughter needs me and this is my only hope. 'I feel like giving up but that's not me, yet I also feel so lucky to be alive. 'I put all faith in my lawyer giving him my power of attorney but l'm getting nowhere. I'm losing everything slowly, even my will to live. 'I just need to get home to my baby and my dog. I don't understand how such a stupid mistake has led me here. 'It is illegal for them to keep me here and I've no option but to start telling my story.'
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