Fears for seven-month pregnant British mother jailed in Tenerife

2022-10-03

Seven-months pregnant British mother may have to give birth in Spanish prison after she is jailed at the start of Tenerife holiday over unpaid fine for ‘drunken altercation’ in 2021

Jamielee Fielding was slapped with a €420 (£367) fine in 2021 while in Malaga
She left without paying and was arrested upon arriving in Tenerife in August
Despite offering to pay the fine on the spot, Fielding was jailed for four months
She is expected to give birth more than two weeks before sentence ends

There are concerns a heavily-pregnant British mother who was detained at passport control and jailed at the start of her holiday in Tenerife could be forced to give birth in prison.

Jamielee Fielding from Livingston in Scotland was slapped with a €420 (£367) fine in 2021 after she was involved in a drunken altercation in the popular Spanish tourist hub of Malaga, but left the country without paying her debt.

One year on, the seven-months pregnant 32-year-old jetted to Tenerife for a family holiday with her father and brother in August, but was immediately identified at passport control and taken into custody.

Despite offering to pay the fine on the spot, Fielding was whisked to jail and was later handed a sentence of four months.

She now faces the prospect of giving birth in a Spanish prison, and was reportedly being held without access to medication needed to treat gestational diabetes.

Jamielee Fielding was arrested and sentenced to four months in prison in Tenerife. She was fined in Spain last year but left without paying

Fielding went to Tenerife (pictured) in August on a family holiday but was arrested at passport control

Fielding told BBC Scotland that her predicament was a ‘living hell’ and has appealed to British authorities to help secure her release in time for the birth of her child.

Her sentence runs until December 16, but her baby is due to be born on November 28.

‘It’s been unimaginable. I can’t contemplate having my baby here in a foreign hospital,’ Fielding said.

‘All I want is to be back home in a Scottish hospital with my family around me to have a safe birth… She’s due on 28 November and I’ve pretty much been told to prepare to have her here.’

Fielding had travelled to Malaga last year to identify the body of her mother, who died on holiday in Spain.

She claimed the grief had put her in a bad state of mind and led to uncharacteristically drunk and disruptive behaviour which earned her the fine and ultimately saw her leave the country without paying.

The mother served the first six weeks of her sentence in El Rosario prison – a high security facility housing a series of violent criminals.

Her father meanwhile said he was not notified of her arrest or where she was being detained, according to The Mirror. It was also claimed the heavily pregnant woman was deprived of access to medication needed to manage gestational diabetes.

Fielding last week managed to secure a transfer to a low-security facility which grants her leave on weekends, though she must still remain behind bars from Monday to Friday.

Livingston MP Hannah Bardell is now campaigning for Fielding’s release and has called on the Foreign Office to conduct an investigation into the treatment of British citizens in Spain.

The heavily pregnant mother served the first six weeks of her sentence in El Rosario prison – a high security facility housing a series of violent criminals

Bardell told fellow MPs in the Commons last week: ‘Jamielee is seven months pregnant, and we have grave concerns that the health consequences, stress, and poor treatment she has received while in prison could have a harmful effect… it is imperative that she is released immediately from this disproportionate sentence and brought back to Scotland to be with her family.

‘The way Jamielee has been treated in Spain has been disgusting. This should not be tolerated and an investigation by the Foreign Office must look into the way British Citizens are treated in Spain.

‘Whilst my constituent is under the care of the Spanish Authorities she must be treated with dignity, care, and respect under the European Union’s Charter of Fundamental Rights.’

Fielding posted an image of her sonogram on Facebook just prior to leaving for the trip to Tenerife in August, suggesting her child would be named Ariella.

She told BBC Scotland that her time spent in prison was full of anxiety and expressed guilt over the potential effects this could have on her unborn baby.

‘It was a constant worry, just the sheer anxiety the full time and you’ve got nothing else to do other than overthink… I felt so guilty about her and what she was going through.’

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