Cerys Nelmes, a stand-up comic from Bristol, claims that she accidentally walked out of a Zara shop in Turkey without paying for her items – but quickly returned after realising her error
This is the moment a British comedian leaves a Zara shop without paying – before she’s arrested.
Cerys Nelmes is facing three years behind bars after being accused of stealing clothes from a branch of Zara in Istanbul, Turkey on July 22. Mum-of-one Cerys, from Bristol, has been banned from leaving the country while police investigate the store’s claims.
Footage shows Cerys wearing a blue dress as she browses around the shop with an armful of clothes on hangers and other items in her backpack. Later footage shows her leaving the store clearly distracted by her phone and, according to her, forgetting that there were items in her white backpack she hadn’t paid for.
She is then seen standing just outside the shop, still on her phone, as a Zara staff member walks over and asks her and another woman to go back inside before the police were called, NewsX report.
Cerys says she returned to the store without argument over the forgotten 6,000 lira (£110)-worth of clothing still in her backpack. But she told her social media followers she was then detained and locked in a room for hours with no explanation.
From there, she was taken to a police station and said she was pressured to sign documents in a language she could not read. She was released on probation by a judge after 24 hours in a holding cell, allegedly with no food, water or loo. She has since been released but has been forbidden from leaving the country and is being put up by a local family as she does not have the money for an extended stay. The police investigation is ongoing.
“I was told they didn’t understand me,” said Nelmes. The next day, she was brought before a judge who released her but banned her from leaving the country. She now faces a potential three-year sentence as the case proceeds.
Ms Nelmes says she is stranded in Turkey, unable to afford accommodation and missing out on work back home, putting her and her son at risk of losing their UK home. She said: “I’m ok and have been taken in by a Turkish family who gave me food and a bed. I don’t deserve all the kind words from people but I am very grateful.”
On her website it states of her career: “Cerys has worked very hard to forge a strong career in the comedy industry. She is a leading mc on the comedy circuit, working for major UK clubs and UK charity events. Cerys has a fantastic stage presence and her audience interaction is flawless.”
Recounting what happened, she said that she had left the store with several items of clothing before realising her error. Despite returning to the store, claiming she had returned the items and wanted to pay, Nelmes was seized for shoplifting. The stand-up, explained the incident in a social media post saying: “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.”