A British tourist has been jailed for a decade after he bought a drink using counterfeit money.
Oliver Andrews, 29, is now banged up in a Moroccan prison where he shares a 12-person cell with 31 other people after he was arrested in November.
The Bournemouth native had visited a bar in Marrakech with a pal on the last day of their holiday and bought a drink, only to be informed half his money was fake.
READ MORE: Brit dad hacked 700 webcams worldwide to secretly spy on women until FBI snared him
The pair were jailed and then convicted five months later.
Mr Andrews initially faced further charges of creating an organised crime group and making counterfeit money, but these were eventually dropped.
He insists he had no idea the money he was using was counterfeit.
Alanna Cornick, Mr Andrews' partner, told the BBC the sentence was the "worst possible outcome".
"I've been an absolute mess," she said. "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."
Ms Cornick added they would be launching an appeal against her partner's sentence.
Woman, 20, shot dead by homeowner after accidentally pulling into wrong driveway
Mr Andrews' family also claimed he had been denied an official translator and the chance to speak to a lawyer.
They also said they were worried about a heart condition he has, which requires him to take medication daily.
Ms Cornick urged the British Embassy to look out for Oliver's wellbeing as she described his condition as "heartbreaking".
"We just want the embassy to do their job and go and visit him, and make sure to check on his welfare," she told the BBC.
"The condition that he's living in is just heartbreaking on a daily basis."
The grief-stricken partner took to Facebook to describe Mr Andrews' prison conditions, calling them "cramped" and explaining how his mental and physical health was in decline as a result.
She added that despite being crammed in with more than 30 other inmates, he was unable to communicate with them thanks to the language barrier and was beginning to suffer.
"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," she wrote.
Mr Andrews and his friend are now waiting for a new court date, when their case will be heard for the second time by a different judge.
To stay up to date with all the latest news, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.
READ NEXT:
Trapeze artist falls to her death after husband tragically fails to catch her
Teen trapped inside claw machine after climbing in to get prize banned from theme park
Daughter of cop shot by Raoul Moat says new ITV drama is bringing back family’s pain
Mum of YouTube family who ‘sent teen’s underwear to fan’ called herself ‘Pimp of YouTube’
Source: Read Full Article
