949-251-1366BBC NEWS – ENGLAND – SUSSEX | August 23, 2017
Image courtesy Other)
A British man is facing up to three years in a Turkish prison for trying to take home some ancient coins found on the seabed during a family holiday.
Toby Robyns, 52, an ambulance driver from Southwick, in West Sussex, was arrested as he made his way through security at Bodrum airport on Saturday.
Airport security staff reportedly found 12 coins, which were later classed as historical artefacts, in his luggage.
Mr Robyns told them his children found them while they were swimming.
He is reportedly being detained at Milas prison on suspicion of smuggling historical artefacts.
Mr Robyns’ family returned to the UK without him on Saturday and the Foreign Office said it was liaising with the Turkish authorities
Tim Loughton, the family’s local Conservative MP, said he was speaking to the Foreign Office “to establish all of the facts”.
“This was an innocent, albeit foolish, mistake and we now need to ensure Mr Robyns is treated fairly and properly,” he said in a statement.