This is the moment a British comic was caught on CCTV leaving a clothes shop without paying – in what she claims was an innocent accident.
Comedian Cerys Nelmes, from the Cotswolds, is facing three years behind bars after being accused of shoplifting from a branch of Zara in Istanbul, Turkey on July 22.
Ms Nelmes has been banned from leaving the country while police investigate the store’s claims – which she said may put her and her son at risk of losing their UK home.
Wearing a light blue dress, the footage captures the mother-of-one as she browses around the shop with an armful of clothes on hangers.
Since the in-store CCTV is not timestamped, the timeline is not fully clear but in another clip she is seen walking holding a yellow dress.
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, Ms 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.
British comedian Cerys Nelmes (pictured), from the Cotswolds, was arrested after walking out of a Zara store in Turkey without paying – in what she says was an innocent mistake
Ms Nelmes claims that after returned to the store she offered to pay, but was instead detained, locked in a room for hours without explanation, and eventually arrested for shoplifting
Later footage shows her leaving the store while appearing to be distracted by her phone but with no clothes in hand – and 6,000 lira (£110) of items in her white backpack
Ms Nelmes and the other woman then return to the store without argument.
The comedian claims that she absentmindedly left the store before ringing up her purchases and apologised for her error and offered to pay upon reentering.
She later told her social media followers that she was instead detained and locked in a room for hours with no explanation.
Ms Nelmes said she was 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.
The comic was released by a Turkish judge on probation but has been forbidden from leaving the country.
She now says she is stranded in Turkey and missing out on work back home, putting her and her son at risk of losing their UK home.
The comedian is now being put up by a local family as she does not have the money for an extended stay.
She said: ‘I’m ok and have been taken in by a Turkish family who gave me food and a bed.’
After she exits, Ms Nelmes stands directly outside the store for several moments while appearing to type or browse on her phone
A Zara staff member (right of red circle) eventually approaches and leads Ms Nelmes (blue dress) and another woman (left of red circle) back inside the store
Nelmes now says she is stranded in Turkey, unable to afford accommodation and missing out on work back home, but posted on Instgram to say she had been taken in by a Turkish family
Ms Nelmes describes herself on her website as a ‘leading mc on the comedy circuit’ and regularly gigs for the UK military – including being the last comedian to perform for UK troops before they withdrew from Afghanistan.
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.
The comedian was grabbing a bite to eat in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, when she peformed 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, 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.
The police investigation is ongoing.
Ms Nelmes was arrested after being accused of stealing items from clothing store Zara in Instanbul (file photo, not store mentioned in story)
Ms Nelmes describes herself on her website as a ‘leading mc on the comedy circuit’ and regularly gigs for the UK military – including being the last comedian to perform for UK troops before they withdrew from Afghanistan
‘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.’
An Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson said: ‘We are providing support to a British national in Turkey.’
Zara has been contacted for comment.
