Release of Moroccan friend of Brit jailed for ‘homosexual acts’ confirmed

It has been confirmed that the Moroccan man jailed alongside Ray Cole in Marrakech for “homosexual acts” has also been freed.

Ray Cole, 70, a retired magazine publisher from Deal in Kent, was arrested last month, during a holiday to Marrakesh to visit his Moroccan friend, who has asked not to be named because his family did not know of his fate.

Last Thursday they were found guilty of “homosexual acts” and sentenced to four months behind bars.

Earlier today, several reports out of Morocco stated that the man had been released on bail, after he appealed the conviction, but that he may be returned to jail, which Ray Cole described as “a concentration camp”, because of the pair’s interactions on social media. Yabiladi news reported that he “will still face justice”.

Writing on a now deleted Facebook page calling for his release, a member of Cole’s family said: “I can confirm 100% [Ray’s friend] has been released and will return to uni Monday. The only members of his family that know are his brothers and will not be telling the rest of his family.”

On the release of Ray Cole earlier this week, the fate of his friend was not mentioned.

Adrian Cole previously described his trial as a “complete farce”, and claimed that the judge did not take into account Mr Cole’s medical conditions.

Petitions had been started prior to his release, calling for the friend to be let out, and to stop the arrest of same-sex couples engaging in consensual relationships.