Ray Cole, 69, was visiting Morocco when he was arrested on suspicion of homosexuality . A British holidaymaker has been jailed for four months in Morocco for being gay. Ray Cole, 69, from Deal in Kent had been visiting a Moroccan man in Marrakesh who he had met online when the pair were approached by police at a bus stop. Officers arrested Mr Cole and Jamal Jam Wald Nass on suspicion of being homosexual – a crime that carries a maximum three year sentence in the country. His family feared he had gone missing after losing contact with him for a nearly a week when he was arrested on September 18. He was eventually able to get in contact by ringing his home number – the only one he knew- from a fellow prisoner’s phone. The grandfather-of-one, who came out as gay a few years ago, spoke to his housemate and told him he had been arrested but did not know where he was. Mr Cole and Mr Jam Wald Nass were both sentenced to four months in prison on October 2. His son, Adrian Cole, 41, from Windsor in Berkshire, flew out to visit him and says the Moroccan authorities failed to notify them or the British Consulate of his arrest. ‘It's really rough, he's in with paedophiles and murderers and people who have committed shocking crimes,’ he told Pink News. ‘The Consulate tried to visit him but were initially turned way, and told he had refused to see them. But when we spoke to him, he didn't know anything about it. ‘He's had a couple of minor strokes before and has a minor heart condition. He has also been suffering with depression, which the court didn't take into account. ‘Why they haven't just deported him no one seems to be able to be able to explain.’ Adrian Cole, who works as a personal service manager for British Airways, added that his father was arrested for protecting Mr Jam Wald Nass, after meeting him online. He said: ‘He had been in Marrakesh for about four weeks and was due to fly home after five weeks. ‘He met Jamal online and they had been talking for a few months, and my father had already been on one two week holiday to see him. ‘They were standing waiting for a bus in Marrakesh to try to get back to Jamal's apartment in Gueliz when a policeman grabbed Jamal and started roughing him up. ‘We don't know if it was because some of the conservative neighbours near Jamal's apartment spoke to the police, or whether the police just wanted a bribe. ‘They took Jamal away from the bus and treated him poorly and my dad didn't walk away. He should have but he didn't. ‘It was then the police took Jamal's phone, which they didn't have the right to do, and they took his password and saw the picture.’ The Moroccan prison where Ray Cole is being detained with Jamal Jam Wald Nass after the pair were given a four month prison sentence on October 2 . He said they only realised there might be a problem when his sister Gemma Cole, 37, who lives in Minster in Kent, did not receive a text from her father on her birthday – the day after he was arrested. ‘We then noticed he hadn't posted on Facebook and he's usually quite proficient on there. We didn't panic straight away but by then we were quite concerned,’ he continued. ‘We called the police and reported a missing person. But on the 21st my dad called his housemate as his own number was the only one he could remember and he told him he had been arrested and didn't know where he was. ‘At first we popped champagne as we thought it was something minor, as before we thought he could be dead or something. Mr Cole, pictured while on his trip in Marrakech, had been in the country for four weeks and was due to fly home in five weeks . ‘Then we realised the gravity of it. We flew over there and visited my dad and he had a stoic British approach, he put on a brave face. But I know he is deeply disturbed.’ Mr Cole, a former publisher and volunteer with the elderly, had been married to his children’s mother Margaret for 45 years before he came out, but the pair have remained good friends. His family visited him in prison in Morocco but flew back on Friday following the sentencing and say they are planning to appeal his conviction. They added that he is being fed boiled vegetables once a day and his dorm, which is designed to sleep 44 men, is used by 60 – leaving him sleeping on a concrete floor. His son added: ‘He knows he committed a gay act on their soil, he gets that. But he should be deported back, putting a 70 year-old tourist in prison for that isn't sensible, you can't lock them up. ‘We're hoping something will be done about this as soon as possible. ‘We have been working with the Foreign and Commonwealth office, but of course they cannot change the law. ‘I'm gay and no one gave me any guarantees that I could go out and see my father. ‘People don't know how dangerous this place is. They're a tourist driven economy. ‘They rely on tourists like my father. They then decide to judge you and your life and may or may not treat you in this fashion.’ A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: ‘We can confirm the detention of a British national in Morocco. We are providing consular assistance.’ Adrian took to Facebook to tell others about what had happened to his father, urging them to share his story. He posted: ‘Please share this with as many people as you can and let's make sure that the Moroccans think twice about the way they treat those who chose to contribute to their economy.’ Other campaigners have also taken to Twitter as well as Facebook to highlight the case. Using the #freeraycole hashtag, they are pleading for help from Stephen Fry, Clare Balding, Simon Pegg and Lord Alan Sugar. Ray Cole's niece Vicki Cole tweeted actor Ralf Little, saying: ‘@RalfLittle my 70 year old uncle has been sentenced to 4 months in prison in Morocco for being gay £FreeRayCole please RT’ Twitter user @Tallguy73 tweeted David Cameron, it read: ‘@David-Cameron What about Ray Cole? A UK man imprisoned in Morocco for being gay? Help him, he's part of the country you run. #FreeRayCole’.
Ray Cole, 69, had been visiting a Moroccan man in Marrkesh he met online .
Pair approached by police and arrested on suspicion of homosexuality .
Mr Cole and Jamal Jam Wald Nass sentenced to four months in prison .
Family feared him missing and claim the authorities failed to inform them .
His family are appealing his conviction and campaigning on social media .
Ray Cole, 69, was visiting Morocco when he was arrested on suspicion of homosexuality . A British holidaymaker has been jailed for four months in Morocco for being gay. Ray Cole, 69, from Deal in Kent had been visiting a Moroccan man in Marrakesh who he had met online when the pair were approached by police at a bus stop. Officers arrested Mr Cole and Jamal Jam Wald Nass on suspicion of being homosexual – a crime that carries a maximum three year sentence in the country. His family feared he had gone missing after losing contact with him for a nearly a week when he was arrested on September 18. He was eventually able to get in contact by ringing his home number – the only one he knew- from a fellow prisoner’s phone. The grandfather-of-one, who came out as gay a few years ago, spoke to his housemate and told him he had been arrested but did not know where he was. Mr Cole and Mr Jam Wald Nass were both sentenced to four months in prison on October 2. His son, Adrian Cole, 41, from Windsor in Berkshire, flew out to visit him and says the Moroccan authorities failed to notify them or the British Consulate of his arrest. ‘It's really rough, he's in with paedophiles and murderers and people who have committed shocking crimes,’ he told Pink News. ‘The Consulate tried to visit him but were initially turned way, and told he had refused to see them. But when we spoke to him, he didn't know anything about it. ‘He's had a couple of minor strokes before and has a minor heart condition. He has also been suffering with depression, which the court didn't take into account. ‘Why they haven't just deported him no one seems to be able to be able to explain.’ Adrian Cole, who works as a personal service manager for British Airways, added that his father was arrested for protecting Mr Jam Wald Nass, after meeting him online. He said: ‘He had been in Marrakesh for about four weeks and was due to fly home after five weeks. ‘He met Jamal online and they had been talking for a few months, and my father had already been on one two week holiday to see him. ‘They were standing waiting for a bus in Marrakesh to try to get back to Jamal's apartment in Gueliz when a policeman grabbed Jamal and started roughing him up. ‘We don't know if it was because some of the conservative neighbours near Jamal's apartment spoke to the police, or whether the police just wanted a bribe. ‘They took Jamal away from the bus and treated him poorly and my dad didn't walk away. He should have but he didn't. ‘It was then the police took Jamal's phone, which they didn't have the right to do, and they took his password and saw the picture.’ The Moroccan prison where Ray Cole is being detained with Jamal Jam Wald Nass after the pair were given a four month prison sentence on October 2 . He said they only realised there might be a problem when his sister Gemma Cole, 37, who lives in Minster in Kent, did not receive a text from her father on her birthday – the day after he was arrested. ‘We then noticed he hadn't posted on Facebook and he's usually quite proficient on there. We didn't panic straight away but by then we were quite concerned,’ he continued. ‘We called the police and reported a missing person. But on the 21st my dad called his housemate as his own number was the only one he could remember and he told him he had been arrested and didn't know where he was. ‘At first we popped champagne as we thought it was something minor, as before we thought he could be dead or something. Mr Cole, pictured while on his trip in Marrakech, had been in the country for four weeks and was due to fly home in five weeks . ‘Then we realised the gravity of it. We flew over there and visited my dad and he had a stoic British approach, he put on a brave face. But I know he is deeply disturbed.’ Mr Cole, a former publisher and volunteer with the elderly, had been married to his children’s mother Margaret for 45 years before he came out, but the pair have remained good friends. His family visited him in prison in Morocco but flew back on Friday following the sentencing and say they are planning to appeal his conviction. They added that he is being fed boiled vegetables once a day and his dorm, which is designed to sleep 44 men, is used by 60 – leaving him sleeping on a concrete floor. His son added: ‘He knows he committed a gay act on their soil, he gets that. But he should be deported back, putting a 70 year-old tourist in prison for that isn't sensible, you can't lock them up. ‘We're hoping something will be done about this as soon as possible. ‘We have been working with the Foreign and Commonwealth office, but of course they cannot change the law. ‘I'm gay and no one gave me any guarantees that I could go out and see my father. ‘People don't know how dangerous this place is. They're a tourist driven economy. ‘They rely on tourists like my father. They then decide to judge you and your life and may or may not treat you in this fashion.’ A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: ‘We can confirm the detention of a British national in Morocco. We are providing consular assistance.’ Adrian took to Facebook to tell others about what had happened to his father, urging them to share his story. He posted: ‘Please share this with as many people as you can and let's make sure that the Moroccans think twice about the way they treat those who chose to contribute to their economy.’ Other campaigners have also taken to Twitter as well as Facebook to highlight the case. Using the #freeraycole hashtag, they are pleading for help from Stephen Fry, Clare Balding, Simon Pegg and Lord Alan Sugar. Ray Cole's niece Vicki Cole tweeted actor Ralf Little, saying: ‘@RalfLittle my 70 year old uncle has been sentenced to 4 months in prison in Morocco for being gay £FreeRayCole please RT’ Twitter user @Tallguy73 tweeted David Cameron, it read: ‘@David-Cameron What about Ray Cole? A UK man imprisoned in Morocco for being gay? Help him, he's part of the country you run. #FreeRayCole’.
Ray Cole, 69, was visiting Morocco when he was arrested on suspicion of homosexuality . A from Deal in Kent had been visiting a Moroccan man in Marrakesh who he had met online when the pair were approached by police at a bus stop. Officers arrested Mr Cole and Jamal Jam Wald Nass country. His family feared he had gone missing Wald Nass were both sentenced to four months in and says the Moroccan authorities failed to