Briton Toby Robyns ‘delighted’ to be home after Turkey ‘smuggled’ coins arrest
Written by News on 07/10/2017
A British tourist held in a Turkish jail after he was accused of trying to smuggle ancient coins out of the country has said he is "delighted and relieved" to be home.
Father-of-five Toby Robyns was detained at Bodrum Airport on 19 August, when security staff reportedly found around 12 coins in his bags.
He was accused of smuggling historical artefects after the coins, which he found on the seabed while snorkelling, were sent to a museum for authenticity checks.
Mr Robyns, 52, returned home to Southwick in West Sussex on Monday after he was released by the Turkish authorities.
In a statement issued through his MP Tim Loughton, he said: "I am delighted and relieved to be back at home with my family after the ordeal of the last six weeks.
"They have been unwavering in their support and worked hard to secure my release.
"I am also very grateful to friends and members of the local community who have been very supportive in so many ways, which has undoubtedly made a difficult time more bearable.
"It was never my intention to break any laws in Turkey and it has been difficult to understand how to impress my innocence to the authorities when it resulted from a simple mistake.
"I am therefore particularly grateful for the practical assistance and encouragement provided by the Foreign Office and especially the embassy staff in Turkey, my MP, Tim Loughton, my attorney, Murat Yilmaz, and my family contact in the UK, Burcu Orphan Holmgren."
A Turkish court ruled Mr Robyns would be released and face no further proceedings on 29 September.
He had been detained at two prisons in the Bodrum area and could have faced 10 years in jail if he had been tried and found guilty.
(c) Sky News 2017: Briton Toby Robyns ‘delighted’ to be home after Turkey ‘smuggled’ coins arrest
