Moment Brit comic Cerys Nelmes ‘shoplifts' from Zara after ‘forgetting clothes in bag' as she faces years in Turkey jail

The Sun

3 days ago

THIS is the moment Brit comic Cerys Nelmes allegedly walked out of a Zara store in Istanbul with £110 worth of clothes stuffed in her backpack.
The 47-year-old mum now faces up to three years in a Turkish prison after the July 22 incident, which she claims was a misunderstanding after insisting she forgot to pay for the items.
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CCTV shows Nelmes browsing racks in a blue dress with an armful of hangers, while more clothes appear crammed into her white backpack.
As she heads for the exit, she appears distracted by her phone, looking bemused as she steps through the doors.
But instead of fleeing, she lingers outside the store still glued to her handset.
Moments later, a Zara worker approaches and escorts her back inside.
Nelmes, from Bristol, told her followers: "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."
Despite her insistence she offered to pay, the comic said she was suddenly ushered into a locked room.
"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," Nelmes explained.
Brit facing 3 years in hellish Turkey prison for 'shoplifting' after leaving Zara without paying
The Brit performer claims she was thrown into a filthy cell for 24 hours 'with no food or toilet facilities. When I asked for water, I was told they didn't understand me.'
The next day, she was brought before a judge who freed her on probation but slapped her with a travel ban.
That means she's now trapped in Turkey while police continue investigating the alleged shoplifting — a charge that carries a possible three-year jail term.
The ordeal has left Nelmes, a rising star on the Bristol comedy circuit, stranded without money or work.
She had only been on a short break and now fears she could lose her home back in the UK.
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Nelmes said: "I am ok and have been taken in by a Turkish family who have given me a bed and food.
"I don't deserve all the kind words from people but I am very grateful."
Friends and fans have flooded her social media with messages of support, while the British Embassy confirmed it is offering assistance.
A police probe remains ongoing.
It follows shocking scenes in Thailand where a Brit tourist was hauled out of a bar and beaten by staff after allegedly refusing to cough up a £460 drinks bill.
Footage from the Diamond Karaoke Bar shows the 26-year-old solo traveller being forcefully manhandled.
Reports claim he'd been hit with an inflated charge of 20,000 baht — around £460 — for his drinks.
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