A 70-year-old British man has been arrested in Morocco for "being gay", according to his family. Ray Cole has been jailed for four months in the country.

According to the Guardian, the man in question was holidaying in Morocco when he was arrested. Cole, who came out as gay just a few years ago, was arrested by police after they searched his phone and used the contents to prosecute him.

Adrian Cole said his father and a friend were waiting at a bus stop when they were approached by police and asked why they were together.

"They accessed my father's phone, and inside one of the folders they found a photograph that they said was compromising," he said. Based on that, they were charged with homosexuality."

He said his father was respectful of Morocco's laws and that he is a "very discreet" person.

Adrian Cole said his father has been sleeping on the floor in a crowded jail, and that the conditions are starting to take a toll on the 70-year-old.

The family plan on launching an appeal.

"Our hope is that they (Moroccan authorities) would see fit to simply remove it from the country," he said.

The British Foreign Office stated: “We can confirm the detention of a British man in Morocco. We are providing consular assistance.”

A campaign has begun online to free the Briton with many using the hashtag "#freeraycole".

His son, Adrian, posted this message with the following pictures to his Facebook account. He reported that his father had to use another prisoners phone to let his family know where he was being detained.

 

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