British couple thrown in Spanish jail and fined £600 after refusing to pay for paella they didn't even order

A British couple who say they were charged for an extra paella while on holiday ended up in a Spanish prison cell after complaining.
Geoff Cox and his partner Bridget Keyes visited a restaurant on their cycling vacation from Cordoba to Granada.
They noticed a meal for an extra €15 (£12.70) on their bill and highlighted it with the waiter. But he argued with them and they refused to pay the extra cash.

Spanish arrest: Geoff Cox and Bridget Keyes were arrested on holiday in Spain after a row in a restaurant over a £12 paella

After some shoving and pushing police were called and the next day they were told they would have to pay £600 for prosecution costs.

After a further altercation, police officers arrested the couple and later claimed they had been assaulted and demanded compensation.

Mr Cox, who is in his late 50s and from Newdigate in Surrey, complained to the waiter when the group were presented with the bill explaining they hadn’t ordered the extra dish, but the waiter ‘got angry’.

Holiday hell: The four friends' cycling holiday, which took in a stop at Granada, turned into a nightmare after a row in a local restaurant over a £12 paella

Mr Cox, speaking after returning to the UK following his and Miss Keyes’ arrest on May 17, told the Dorking Advertiser: ‘We pointed out the extra paella and the waiter went off like a firecracker.
‘We put down €105 and said we would pay that, but he wanted €120.‘
It got a bit ugly and when he said he would call the police we said, ‘Right, fine’, because we were certain they would side with us.’
But when the police arrived the couple were arrested. They spent the night in the local police cells having their shoes confiscated and given nothing to eat or drink until the next morning.

Dream holiday: What should have been an enjoyable cycling tour of Spain's beautiful countryside turned into a nightmare when the group noticed an extra paella on their bill

The next day they were given access to a lawyer and a translator, only to find out that Mr Cox had been charged with assault on a police officer, resisting arrest and defrauding a restaurant.
They were set free the same day but ordered to return on May 20.
‘That messed up our holiday plans as we were off to Seville,’ said Mr Cox. ‘We came back to Granada at a cost of €200 to have our day in court.’
Mr Cox  was told he faced a year in prison if found guilty, but when the case was put before the court the criminal charges were dropped.
But despite dropping the charges the Spanish prosecutor still sought damages of €260 for the police and demanded the couple be fined €360 each.
They were instead ordered to pay €78 (£66) in fines and damages of €250 (£221) before being freed.
They estimate the total cost including €200 (£170) for return travel to Granada for the court hearing and €400 (£340) for legal representation to have cost in excess of €700 (£600).
Mr Cox said: ‘I’m an ordinary, middle class, respectable citizen who has never had any trouble with the police.
‘It’s a bloody outrage and we must still make sure our fine gets paid to the right place.
‘If it gets lost in the system we could find ourselves facing a European extradition warrant, so I’m still worried about it.’
Last month two brothers and their wives holidaying in Rome were handed a bill for £54 for four ice cream cones.
Roger Bannister, his brother Stephen and their wives Wendy and Joyce were were outraged when they were charged 64 euros for four cones at a gelateria near the Spanish Steps.
But in their case, after paying the bill but complaining to a newspaper, they ended up being treated to a VIP all-expenses paid trip back to Rome.
But in their case, after paying the bill but complaining to an Italian newspaper, the mayor invited them back as guests of the city enjoying free accommodation, meals and tours of the city's hidden treasures.

DAILYMAIL