Why did Cambodian police arrest five Brits, who are they and why were they charged with ‘pornographic dancing’?
A group of 10 foreigners, including the five Brits, are accused of 'offending local standards of morality' following a Twister-style 'sex position game'
FIVE Britons are among ten men and women facing jail in Cambodia after being charged with "pornographic dancing" amid a police crackdown on rowdy tourist antics.
Their lawyer is now fighting to get them deported rather than caged for up to a year. Here's the latest on the situation.
Why were five Brits arrested in Cambodia?
Police in Siem Reap, a town close to the ancient temples of Angkor Wat, raided a pool party at a private villa in the popular backpacker town.
The party is believed to have been hosted by "Let's Get Wet", whose previous events have featured young men and women in swimsuits knocking back jugs of booze.
One arrested Brit said he had been cooking at a barbecue when around 30 officers stormed in and rounded up the revellers at 4pm on January 25.
He said from his cell: "Honestly, it was really confusing. Everyone was confused. They raided, rounded us up - there was about 80 to 100 people at this party, some of them were tourists."
The prisoner said cops have been targeting expats over tourists wearing bikinis in public, specifically relating to expat-run pub crawls in Siem Reap.
He said: "We're innocent. We don't know why we've been arrested - we're getting different stories from different people."
Police said of the 87 foreigners at the pool party, 77 were “educated and let go.”
Ten were “detained and charged” after used condoms were discovered in the building.
A friend of the arrested men said: “It’s ridiculous. They were wearing swimming gear at a private pool party. There were condoms but that’s not illegal."
What is 'pornographic dancing'?
Cops said the suspects had engaged in "pornographic dancing" and charged them with indecency.
The mum of one arrested Brit said she understood the group had been playing a Twister-style “sex position game”.
Siem Reap cops released pictures of boozy Western revellers - some in just their underwear - straddling each other on the floor of a bar.
The British prisoners insist none of them appear in the raunchy photos.
A friend said: “The pictures are from a totally different event several years ago. Some of those arrested worked at bars but others were just visiting for a few weeks.
“It seems more likely that the event hosts didn’t pay a bribe.”
The friend said of the British prisoners: “They are pretty crushed. Some of them are expats but others are just tourists who arrived in the country, went to a pool party and are now facing a year in jail.”
Who was charged, what do they claim happened and what comes next?
The ten foreigners arrested are aged 19 to 35 and include expats, bar workers and tourists.
The five Brits are Paul Harris, 32, Vince Hook, 35, Daniel Jones, 30, Thomas Jeffries, 22, and Billy Stevens, 21.
Also held were a Dutch national, a Norwegian, a New Zealander and two Canadian women.
They spent three days sleeping on the floor of a police station before being transferred to an overcrowded local prison.
A Cambodian lawyer representing the group said they could have to wait six months for a trial — and end up serving a year in jail in total if convicted.
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Harris' father, Guy Harris, has claimed the offending images were taken at a 'Let's Get Wet' pool party taken five years ago - well before his son arrived in Cambodia.
They will remain in detention until the case goes before a court, which could take up to six months.
The Foreign Office confirmed it assisting five British nationals and supporting their families.
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