Innocent Brit Rearrested After Emergency UK Trip Breached Travel Ban

A British expat cleared of involvement in a Spanish property scam has been rearrested for leaving the country to help his long-term partner deal with her nervous breakdown.

Rob Herring, along with his friend Scott Cattell, had been arrested in Marbella in July 2015 after Scott and his then girlfriend had collected a few chairs from a local office run by one Yanis who worked for a fraudulent property company registered as Renty123. The scam involved the posting of fake properties for rent on TripAdvisors’s rental pages until it was closed down, but neither Scott, his girlfriend or Rob had any connection with the fraudulent operation and both were exonerated by the Spanish court.

However, due to the case, Rob received a ban on leaving the country which he breached by returning to the UK to care for his long-term partner who was suffering a nervous breakdown and suicidal as a result. Her emotional problems had been caused by Rob’s false arrest and her son’s sectioning under the mental health act, leaving Rob with no option but to leave for two weeks in order to help them both.

He maintains his justification for breaking the ban by returning home for a short time, stating the court case against him is reparation for his lawyer’s patrimonial claim for his and Scott’s original arrest and the damage it caused their finances and mental health. In addition, Rob believes pressure from TripAdvisor is another reason why he’s being charged for breaking his ban due to extenuating circumstances. Rob’s case is now being examined by the Spanish public prosecutor and will be registered by the Briton’s lawyer later this month. When contacted by local media, TripAdvisor refused to comment on their involvement in the case.