Police drop bail for Britons held in Guangzhou
Investigation into shopping dispute ends without charges for the two women but no official word on whether they can return home
Guangzhou police have cancelled bail for two British women at the centre of an alleged shop brawl, state media reported last night, but it remains unclear whether they can return home.
Xinhua reported Liwan district police had completed their investigation and closed the file relating to Mary Idowu, 59, and Esther Jubril-Badmos, 48, from London. The two had been in criminal detention since police in Zhanqian in Liwan district detained them on June 21 for "provocation and disturbance of peace".
They allegedly got into a fight with shop staff over an order of custom-made slippers. Xinhua said they were accused of causing minor injuries to one man and two women, although the exact number of shop employees has varied in media reports.
They were accused of incurring damage worth more than 207,000 yuan (HK$260,000). The shopkeeper's list of demands included 150,000 yuan in compensation for a diamond ring that was missing after a "brutal beating" by two "foreign black women" armed with a shoe.
The Liwan district prosecutor refused to process the case on July 29, citing inadequate evidence, and the two were released on bail.
Desperate to go home, they paid a negotiated settlement of 45,000 yuan but their bail condition remained, and they were told it would take a year to investigate the complex case. With their visas expired, the two have been unable to return home.