British tourist jailed in Egypt for patting male security guard on the back: 'He was accused of sexual assault'
Tony Camoccio is being held in an Egyptian jail for patting an airport security guard on the back. Tony's living conditions in the jail aren't great as he is forced to stay in a room with no roof and sleep on a concrete floor with only one blanket to keep him warm. Tony was accused of sexually assaulting the security guard as he was set to leave the country with his group of friends and family.
Tony was thrown into Hurghada Police Station Number One and his wife, Joan and rest of the family members are trying their best to secure his release. His father Peter Camoccio said, "They put him into a cell with no roof and he has slept on a concrete floor with only a blanket. The situation is chronic."
"The case went to court but it could not proceed because the man he was supposed to have upset was not there," he further said, as reported by Daily Mail. "My daughter-in-law was told if she apologized to the man it might make it good so they went to the airport but he was not there and he could not be found. They said he had left. We don't know what's going on."
Tony has already spent five days in jail without charge and his family stated that on the first night he was kept in handcuffs and was given no food and water in his cell. A friend of Tony said that he had committed no crime. "He is completely innocent and has been kept in inhumane conditions," he said.
"He has four children and a loving wife and many friends. We need this man, his wife, and his son to come back home," he continued. The incident occurred when Tony was returning home with his family and 18 of his friends. As a standard routine check, the officer patted Tony and he patted the officer on the back.
The incident took place on February 8, Saturday and Tony was expected to be released on Sunday but the officers have told the family that he would be spending another 15 days in the prison as the police wanted to investigate the situation further. Christine Sachett, who is a family friend told the outlet, "We have been told they are inhuman conditions. Tony is such a lovely, lovely guy. He is family orientated. And his wife is an absolute diamond."
Tony's friends and sons have spent days protesting outside the Egyptian Embassy in Mayfair, London. More than 2,000 people have signed an online petition. A statement supporting Tony read, "He was at the final checkpoint where he was patted down by a security officer. Tony then gently patted the officer's back, and is now facing serious accusations."
It continued, "He was held in a cell overnight where he remained in handcuffs petrified for his life as he did not know what he was supposedly being charged with or what he had done wrong."
The accusation of sexual assault was made four days after Tony was jailed. He was due to appear in the court but the hearing did not take place. "The situation has been blown up," a family friend told the outlet. "There is video evidence being held back by the Egyptian police that proves that this is a lie. The officer has accused Tony of sexual assaulting him which is evidently not the case."
The friend continued, "The police are now saying they want up to 15 days more to investigate. The police are very uncooperative. His basic rights were being abused and these are false accusations. The police officers at the station asked that his wife and son brought food, water, clothes and any toiletries or things he may need and these belongings were not passed on for an entire two days."