Lock-up Lowdown (I): British Man Labels Hungary "Cruel and Barbaric"

An international war of words is brewing after the father of a British man extradited to Hungary described the country as a "cruel, barbaric regime," referring to the prison-like conditions in Hungary's, er, prisons. His son, Michael Turner was seized by authorities at Gatwick Airport and handed over to Hungarian authorities, writes the Bournemouth Echo. According to vocal father Mark, who runs a pub near the historic Corfe Castle (pictured, not to be confused with a Hungarian prison), "He's not allowed to use the telephone, he’s not allowed mail. He’s in unsanitary conditions – not allowed a change of clothes or a shower, or to even to brush his teeth." Michael and former business partner Jason McGoldrick are in pre-trial custody accused of defrauding some 100 customers for a total of €18,000 after their marketing company folded in 2004 - and then allegedly disappearing into thin air. Without knowing jack about the murky world of international extradition procedures or any of the details of the case, we can confidently predict a juicy war of words in the British and Hungarian press, particularly based on what we already know about Hungarian prisons. To raise the profile of this potentially explosive case further, Mark is planning a coach trip to Budapest to protest his son's incarceration, and we all know where that will most likely end.