Corriston Scale - Tunisia

February 07

Latest news:

FTA welcome the news that Corriston Scale is now back with his family in the UK after being given a suspended sentence of 6 months’ imprisonment.

This month’s spotlight focuses on the case of Corriston Scale, a 19 year old British student from South East London. He is currently in a Tunisian prison facing trial for having sexual intercourse with a minor whilst on holiday, an offence carrying up to 6 years’ imprisonment. However, the ‘minor’ involved was a consenting 14 year old British girl, also on holiday, who told Corriston that she was 18.

On the 23rd December 2006 Corriston flew to Tunisia for a week’s holiday with his brother, grandmother, aunt and cousins; a group of 9 in total. They stayed at the Iberio Star Hotel in Hammamet. He there met a British girl who was also on holiday with her family. She told Corriston that she was 18 years old, the same age as him (he celebrated his 19th birthday in prison on the 12th January). In addition, the hotel operated a policy whereby guests aged 18 and above would wear a yellow wristband so that staff would know to whom they could serve alcohol. Both Corriston and the girl wore such a wristband, allowing them both to drink alcohol in the hotel.

The pair started spending more and more time together and on the 30th December 2006, had consensual sexual intercourse. The girl’s stepfather found out and informed Corriston that his stepdaughter was only 14 years old. The police then got involved and arrested Corriston on suspicion of having sexual intercourse with a minor. He was subsequently charged and refused bail.

Meanwhile, the girl made a statement to the police asking them to be lenient with Corriston and her mother reportedly asked them to drop the matter altogether. The family then returned to the UK on their scheduled flight and as far as FTA are aware, no one in Tunisia has had any contact with them since.

Corriston’s trial is due to be held in the coming weeks. It is unknown whether the girl will return to Tunisia to give evidence but even if she does not, the case against him can still proceed. FTA hopes that the court will take a sensible approach to this case and allow Corriston to return home to his family and education. He has been wrongly caught under a law that was not aimed at young men having consensual sexual intercourse with a partner whom they believe to be of consenting age.