Fake notes couple must remain in Turkey
The Hucknall couple arrested in Turkey for possessing fake £20 notes are reeling from bombshell news that they might have to remain in the country until September. Mandy (38) and Steven Bonnington (40), of Salterford Road, are now facing potential financial ruin, the loss of their jobs and an extended separation from their children, Natasha (15) and Connor (11).As reported in last week’s Dispatch, the couple had hoped that a public prosecutor would alter the allegations they face and allow them to return home until charges, if any, were brought.
But that lifeline has seemingly been quashed and the Bonningtons must now sweat it out in their apartment at the popular Apollon Holiday Complex in Altinkum on the Aegean coast.
The news was revealed after the couple’s solicitor, Ali Aktimur, had a brief conversation with the state prosecutor this week.
The Bonningtons have not yet been formally charged after being arrested on Sunday May 25 – less than 24 hours into a ‘dream holiday’ at their newly-built apartment.
They had allegedly tried to exchange £100 into Turkish lira but were arrested soon after in a nearby bar. A search of their apartment uncovered £3,000 and it is thought that up to £1,000 of that was counterfeit.
The pair were then thrown into notorious jails for nine days and separated from their children, who are now being cared for by relatives in Hucknall. Mr Bonnington, who is a bakery supervisor, and Mrs Bonnington, who is a school dinner-lady, have protested their innocence throughout.
Their plight has made headlines across the globe and all they want is to be reunited with their young children. But Mr Aktimur said It seems the Bonningtons will now be forced to stay in the country and wait until September before a decision on whether to charge them or not is taken.
They now face the prospect of financial ruin and losing their jobs. But, more importantly, being away from their children for longer than anyone anticipated.
Mr Aktimur added: The couple are stunned at the latest setback. More worryingly, they are hearing that Natasha’s schoolwork is being badly affected because of her parents’ situation. It is a human tragedy all round.
He said the prosecutors were still considering charges that could carry prison-terms of between two and 12 years. If commuted to a less serious offence, it would only fetch a suspended prison-term of between three and 12 months.Hucknall Dispatch reported on 28/06/08
Category: National
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