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Brazil fraud case girls released on bail

Published on 3 Aug 2009 under category: legal

Two graduates who have been accused of fraud crimes and were arrested in Brazil have been granted bail.

Shanti Andrews and Rebecca Turner, who studied law at the University of Sussex, face fraud crimes charges which allege that they falsely claimed they were robbed.

Their fraud lawyer, Renato Tonini, said the girls were originally denied bail as they were foreigners, but both have now been told they must stay in the country and have surrendered their passports.

The girls told police that belongings worth £1,000 had been taken from their possessions during a bus journey, but officers claim some of these items were found in their hostel room in Rio.

However, the mother of one of the girls, Simone Headley, said the whole fraud crimes case was a misunderstanding, with the girls thinking some items were missing but later finding them in their luggage.

When appealing against the judge's original decision to deny bail, fraud lawyer Mr Tonini said: "They are very nervous and very concerned about their situation and anxious too."