Grandmother Julia Bolingbroke is devastated after her holiday turned into a nightmare when she was thrown into a Spanish prison.

Mrs Bolingbroke, 50, and her friends of more than 25 years, Michael and Christina Meads, flew out to Las Americas on the Spanish island of Tenerife for a £1,200 two-week, self-catering break at the beginning of April.

But the sunshine holiday turned in to a nightmare after thieves broke into their apartment three days after their arrival.

Mrs Meads, 56, of Wilson Avenue, Whitehawk, Brighton, said: "They must have come down over the roof and got in through the open patio doors.

"There wasn't any air conditioning and we had them open. We didn't hear a thing."

The thieves stole Mr Meads' gold chain bracelet and Mrs Bolingbroke's antique locket and chain, a diamond and ruby ring and an opal and ruby ring.

The thieves did not find Mrs Meads' jewellery, which was placed in a small drawer in the apartment.

The trio soon discovered four other apartments in their block had been broken into and they went to the police to report the theft.

Mrs Meads, who works as a cook at St Mary's Hall, an independent girls school in Brighton where both her husband and Mrs Bolingbroke also work, said: "On the Sunday, we went to a market and Julia had her bag snatched with her cards in it.

"She just wanted to go home but we cancelled her cards and lent her some money."

The trio tried not to let the rest of their holiday be ruined by the experiences.

But when they got on the bus to go to the airport to return to England, the courier asked Mr and Mrs Meads to get off the coach.

Mrs Bolingbroke, from Whippingham Road, Brighton, was left on the coach with her friends' luggage, including Mrs Meads' vanity case, which contained a few items of jewellery.

The couple were questioned about the police report they had made and as they spoke to police officers, the coach headed off to the airport.

When they finally caught up with the coach, police questioned Mrs Bolingbroke and eventually accused her of making a false claim for her stolen jewellery.

She was taken into custody and thrown into a police cell for the night. Police believed the jewellery in the vanity case was Mrs Bolingbroke's and that her claim that it had been stolen was false.

A sobbing Mrs Bolingbroke, who had taken the holiday just two weeks after spending five days in hospital with breathing problems, said: " It's a nightmare. I relive it night after night.

"All I did was report stolen property and now I'm a criminal. I keep thinking about being in that prison cell."

She was also strip-searched and had five Spanish police officers pressurising her to sign a form she could not read.

She was also told her friends had deserted her and were on the plane on their way home.

But Mr and Mrs Meads were at the station, trying to speak to their friend but were told they were not allowed to.

Mrs Bolingbroke said: " I was completely on my own with no one to help me. I just can't get that ordeal out of my head."

After a terrifying night in the cell she was taken to a courtroom where she explained through an interpreter that the jewellery in the vanity case was not hers but belonged to Mrs Meads.

She was appointed a solicitor but he did not speak English.

Mrs Meads, who was waiting outside the courtroom with her husband, told court officials that the case and the jewellery inside belonged to her.

Eventually, Mrs Bolingbroke was released, although, she does not know what really happened and whether she has a criminal record.

She said: "I don't feel I can ever go abroad again.

"They have my photo and fingerprints. I've been made to feel as if I'm a criminal.

"I need to get this sorted out. I thought you were supposed to be innocent until proven guilty."

After Mrs Bolingbroke was released, the three of them were unable to get a flight home from Tenerife.

They had to fly to Madrid before catching a connecting flight home, two days after their ordeal began.

Mrs Meads said: "We want people to know what can happen.

"We have never been in a court anywhere and never experienced anything like it.

"We were due to have two more holidays on Tenerife but we have now cancelled them."

Mrs Bolingbroke has also instructed a solicitor to take up her case.