My partner bought a drink on holiday & now faces 10yrs in hellhole Moroccan jail…he’s wasting away & it’s not his fault | The Sun
A BRIT has been jailed for 10 years after using fake cash to buy a drink in Morocco.
Oliver Andrews, from Bournemouth, was arrested in November after cops accused him and his pal of possessing and distributing counterfeit money.
The 29-year-old and his friend went to a club in Marrakech on the last night of their holiday and bought a drink.
But the next day, cops arrived to arrest the pair.
Authorities told Mr Andrews half his money was fake and they were both thrown behind bars.
After languishing for five months, they were each convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison on April 11.
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Further accusations of creating an organised criminal group and making counterfeit money were dropped.
But Mr Andrews insists he did not know the money he was using was fake.
His devastated partner Alanna Cornick has said they are appealing the sentence, describing it as the "worst possible outcome".
She told the BBC: "I've been an absolute mess.
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"I'm lost for words – I literally can't believe it.
"It's been the most emotional 24 hours ever. We've just got to stay hopeful and keep our fingers crossed."
Mr Andrews' family said his ordeal has been made worse by authorities not giving him an official translator or chance to speak to a lawyer.
His concerned loved ones also told how he was diagnosed with a heart condition in 2021 and needs daily medication.
Ms Cornick previously told how he was being kept in "cramped spaces" with 32 people forced into a 12-person cell.
She wrote on Facebook: "When we visited him in the prison, he was in a very deteriorating mental and physical state and had begun to entertain suicidal thoughts due to not being able to communicate with anyone because of the language barrier."
A new court date is due to be set and the case will be reheard with a different judge.
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