Friend caught shoplifting in Sharm el Sheikh..

elsien

El_Torro said:

elsien said:

Lots of people with ADHD don’t go out on a nicking spree. It’s not really an excuse. 

Agreed that having ADHD is not particularly relevant in this situation. However it sounds like this person has kleptomania, considering that he has already been caught doing similar things in the UK. Why else would someone go to Egypt and steal 2,000 cigarettes while they're there? 

Not that kleptomania can be used as an excuse / defence either. Although we aren't all blessed with being able to control our urges. 

The same reason that they do when they’re back in the UK? 

People steal for all sorts of reasons, usually to make money, and bringing cigarettes back to sell on would be a good way to do that. It doesn’t mean they’ve got a diagnostic label of any sort, just means they’re thieves. 

williewonder

I was hoping to reassure my friend, whose son it is. She's more worried because she's not heard anything for 8 days. She's honestly beside her side with worry.  

elsien

She will be worried – it’s her son.

I think I might have read before that the Egyptian justice system is not particularly fast and it may be a while before any decisions are made. 

If she hasn’t already done, so she probably needs to ask the embassy some direct questions around the process and a rough idea of timescales, how often they would usually try to make contact with her son things like that. 

williewonder

Should she go to the media?

elsien

To achieve what, exactly? what does she think going to the media will do? 

El_Torro

williewonder said:

Should she go to the media?

It doesn't sound like he was wrongfully imprisoned so I don't think there's much of a story here for the media to pick up on. I doubt going to the media would make things worse (mainly because they won't do anything with the story), though I don't see how it would improve the situation either.

k12479

williewonder said:

Should she go to the media?

2000 cigarettes seems to be 10 cartons, a pretty significant quantity. I'm not sure UK viewers/readers/listeners would be too sympathetic to such a story.

DullGreyGuy

Didnt realise the schools had broken up already? 


Theft is typically dealt with by a fine but their legal system is incredibly slow... was looking at an insurance claim from 1985 that is still awaiting a court date.

Odd that no one speaks English and he has learning difficulties but he knows he's being propositioned for sex by other male inmates. Egypt doesn't explicitly ban gay sex but it can be prosecuted under morality laws which carry much higher punishments than theft. 

Voyager2002

He needs a lawyer, an Egyptian English-speaking lawyer. 

His mother should simply ask the foreign office for contact details for such a lawyer: they should be able to respond immediately. I presume that she has asked them for 'help' and it takes ages for an official to visit a prison, and then there is a limit to what they can say.

She might actually do better approaching the charity directly and seeking contact details for a lawyer.

Emmia

Voyager2002 said:

He needs a lawyer, an Egyptian English-speaking lawyer. 

His mother should simply ask the foreign office for contact details for such a lawyer: they should be able to respond immediately. I presume that she has asked them for 'help' and it takes ages for an official to visit a prison, and then there is a limit to what they can say.

She might actually do better approaching the charity directly and seeking contact details for a lawyer.

Can the mother/family pay for the lawyer if they're of "limited means"?

It doesn't feel like a case where the person accused is innocent, as it seems there's no question he stole the cigarettes. Is he a serial shoplifter at home in the UK too?

I'd get in touch with FCDO to see what they might advise, if that's not been done already.