Risky behaviour lands ‘idiot’ Australian in Egyptian prison

Image: Valerii Iavtushenko/Shutterstock.com

Australian photographer, Jesse Walker, and Belgian model, Marisa Papen, have spent a night in an Egyptian jail cell after being caught taking nude photos in the Egyptian desert.

Claiming it was done in the name of art for a sunglasses sales campaign, Walker said he had no regrets and would do it all again.

The pair spent 12 hours behind bars as they awaited their court hearing.

“The court building had no lights on, it was terrifying,” Walker told Daily Mail Australia.

“I started thinking: ‘Are they going to torture us? Are they going to rape Marisa?’ We could just disappear in this place and no one would ever know what happened.”

Read more: Mystery revealed in ancient Egyptian Pyramid of Giza

The pair reportedly bribed guards patrolling the pyramids of Giza, but weren’t able to get out of a difficult situation in Luxor while taking photos amongst the temples of Karnak. 


“You can guess what happened next,” said Walker.

“Busted, once again. And yes, this time we were in some serious trouble,” and they were brought to the local police “like two beaten dogs”.

According to Walker, the guards thought the pair were shooting pornographic content and asked Marisa, “why have you got dirt on your knees?”

A post shared by E N K I E Y E W E A R . (@enkieyewear) on Sep 15, 2017 at 3:12pm PDT

“I knew that a prison in Egypt looks slightly different then in Belgium or any Westernised country but I had no idea what to expect before actually going in,” Papen told the Daily Mail.

“The first cell we encountered was packed with at least 20 men, some were passed out on the floor, some were squeezing their hands through the rails, some were bleeding and yelling. 

“I had never seen something like this before in real life. Jesse kept telling me, ‘Marisa don’t look’ but there was no way not to look.”

Read more: 5 ancient ruins that hold modern mysteries

After appearing in front of a judge the pair were allowed to leave, but not before being told not to never do something like that again.

The pair nodded and were pleased to find that they were able to recover their deleted photos from their SD card using a special program.

“They are so brainwashed (in Luxor), they think everyone is a spy… I’m not sure if I’d every travel back… not soon at least. They have all our passport details,” Walker said.

People have taken to social media to criticise the pair for not respecting local customs.


“You CHOOSE to go there and you CHOSE to break the laws and offend the locals,” said Bob Germanovich.

“Absolute idiot. Getting naked publically [sic] in a country who’s [sic] faith is quite possibly the most modest in the modern world is stupid enough. But to do it in a place of worship is utterly disrespectful. They deserve everything they get,” said Molly Hull.

“Super idiot!! This time you did not offend Muslims, you offended a culture! Those people definitely know nothing about common sense,” said Nadeen Victor.