Brit is arrested, thrown in a Moroccan jail cell and left without any way of contacting his family ‘after filming himself helping hungry children’

When Sam Rushton was collecting donations to help starving children in Morocco, he never imagined that this act of kindness would land him in a prison cell.

But that’s exactly what happened to a 20-year-old man from Ashton-under-Lyne, who was detained by foreign authorities, held in jail for several hours, and had his passport and phone confiscated for days.

Mr Rushton, a carer, was arrested on Thursday (March 5) after he filmed himself distributing essential supplies to local children in Marrakech using money he raised through social media.

After seeing young people begging on the streets, she felt she had to help and went to buy basic needs such as diapers and milk to distribute to families in need.

But Mr Rushton was arrested after authorities discovered he had filmed the moment, accusing him of ‘bringing shame’ to the country and recording children without their consent.

He spent an evening behind bars before being released, but remained on edge in Morocco (where he said English was not widely spoken) for more than a week after officers seized his belongings.

Finally, After his mother’s urgent callRachael Rushton, Mr Rushton was able to return to England last week.

Speaking to the Daily Mail about the ordeal, Ms Rushton told how her son’s dream holiday turned into a week from hell for his family.

Mr Rushton (pictured) spent an evening behind bars before being released but remained on edge for more than a week after officers seized his belongings

He said: ‘Sam had been to Marrakesh on holiday with his brother Jack and wanted to visit there.

‘They were supposed to be gone for six nights and, as Jack loved to travel, the two of them had gone to the Sahara and gone on a camel ride, making the most of it.

‘Sam said that they were staying in a place where there were many beggars and most of the beggars were children. In fact, this whole situation started when two 15-year-old boys met while begging.

‘Sam started talking to them and one of the boys spoke English and helped him with the translation. To thank him for helping him with the translation, Sam told him he could pick up something at a store and buy it for himself.

‘He chose powdered milk and Sam said, ‘Right, your friend can choose something too.’ He chose cooking oil.

‘This interaction must have been playing on Sam’s mind all day, because he called me later and said: ‘Mom, what 15-year-olds choose powdered milk and cooking oil? If you were in the UK they’d probably want sweets and biscuits.’

‘She later wrote a story on Facebook pleading for help with the children. It said something like: ‘If anyone would like to donate so I can buy milk, diapers and food for these children, please do so.’

Ms Rushton said her son had received willing donations from Facebook friends and the public to pay for the supplies and wanted to film himself buying them so he could remain accountable to donors.

Mr Rushton (left) was on holiday in Marrakech when he felt the need to help children begging on the street

He said: ‘He raised some money and then made a video on Facebook saying: “Thanks for your donations. I’m going to spend the night in the Sahara and when I get back I’ll buy something for the kids.”

‘He then noted that he had bought all these and one of the boys helped carry the bags; There were many things like basic necessities and supplies for babies.

‘Sam distributed the items to all these kids and they were surrounding him. ‘He was just filming this to prove to the people donating here that he wasn’t making quick work of the money and was actually spending it on the children!’

Only then did Mrs Rushton say her son was arrested by local authorities. Authorities initially accused him of “bringing shame to Morocco” by recording him donating basic supplies, and then of filming street children without their consent.

He said: ‘I think the police caught him distributing the items and filming himself doing it and arrested him.

‘They detained him for several hours that night; This happened on a Thursday evening. Sam said he was taken to three different police stations.

‘His phone and passport were taken from him, leaving communication limited as the police did not speak English and did not have access to Google Translate.

‘He didn’t have access to money either because he was using Apple Pay connected to his phone.

Mr Rushton (pictured) was allowed to return to the UK after finding a lawyer

‘His brother Jack became the line of communication between Sam and me and was helpful; however, Jack had to return to the UK for work.

‘Luckily, Sam’s girlfriend Izzy went to Marrakech to be with him and I was able to send Sam his money until his phone was cleared again.

‘This ordeal has made me bad. Sam didn’t say much because he was trying not to worry me, but it knocked me over six times.’

Ms Rushton described the paralyzing anxiety she felt at the prospect of her son not returning to the UK after local authorities told him he would face a Moroccan judge.

Moreover, Mr. Rushton’s legal situation was not without problems.

Unable to work due to illness, Ms Rushton had to raise money to pay for a lawyer in Morocco, as well as hotel, flights and possible fines.

He said: ‘I started a GoFundMe so Sam could continue to stay in hotels. I pay for food and a proper lawyer, which I have called numerous times.

‘I also contacted the consulate and Sam had also been in contact with the British Embassy in Morocco but they were not very helpful.

‘Sam had difficulty understanding the lawyers and local officials in Morocco because they said they spoke English, but there was still an obvious language barrier.

‘He was running around trying to learn things but couldn’t get anywhere because no one spoke English. ‘He couldn’t take his phone to the police station to Google Translate because you’re not allowed to take phones into the police station.’

Ms Rushton said she bounced from hotel to hotel after finding a lawyer before being told she could return to England.

After the money was paid to the lawyer, the hearing, where it was determined that the young person could attend the court on behalf of the young man, was postponed until April.

Finally, on March 14, almost two weeks after he went on holiday, Mr Rushton landed at Manchester Airport.

Writing on GoFundMe – When Mrs Rushton was able to raise over £2,500 to help her son return safely, she said: ‘After a long week of not knowing if Sam would make it home, he landed at Manchester Airport at 4.40pm.

‘I want to thank each and every one of you for your support, without you Sam would not be back where he belongs.’

And when asked if she was happy to have him at home, she replied: ‘Very much so.’

In a later social media post, Mr. Rushton expressed similar gratitude.

In an Instagram story her mother reshared on Facebook, she said: ‘Thank God on the way back to Ashton the lawyer managed to sort some things out so I could leave and he will represent me in court on Monday.

‘I couldn’t have done this without everyone’s help, thank you everyone.’

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesman confirmed the department was supporting ‘the family of a British man detained in Morocco’ and was in contact with local authorities.