How a dream trip turned into a nightmare jail stay for drivers - with VIDEO

They cruised through France, the Netherlands and Belgium without a hitch, before calling in at the world-famous Nurburgring racing circuit as they made their way through Germany.

But for Adrian Harrold, Julian Wilson and Dave Bentley the dream turned into a nightmare when they reached Switzerland, leaving them languishing in a Swiss prison for nearly three months accused of minor motoring infringements.

The businessmen, all in their 40s, are still waiting to hear their fate after being arrested just outside Zurich on June 4. Mr Bentley, 49, from Bridgnorth, Mr Harrold, 45, from Wolverhampton, and Mr Wilson, from Newark, had had been taking part in the Cannon Run, a cross-continent road trip which James Cannon, of Buildwas, near Telford, has been running for the past three years.

The three, who were all driving £85,000 Nissan GT-Rs, had all taken part in the event before, and Mr Wilson and Mr Bentley became friends after meeting on a previous trip.

The problems began on the third day when Mr Bentley's car developed a fault, which caused it to break down from time to time.

"Dave was breaking down all the time, so the three of them stuck together in a close convoy, so every time Dave had to stop they were there to help him," said Mr Cannon.

"They were stopped by the police, and arrested for driving too closely together in convoy, driving over a white line because they had nearly missed their turn off the motorway, and a minor speeding offence.

"I believe the speed limit was 120km/h, that's about 75mph, and they were doing 85-87mph."

The three men were arrested, along with Mr Harrold's wife Tina and Mr Wilson's wife Andrea. All five were remanded in custody, but Mrs Harrold and Mrs Wilson were freed without charge after five days.

"The wives were released with just their telephones and their passports, and their phones had got no charge, meaning that they had to go to a cyber cafe to arrange their flights home."

Mr Cannon, who is 26, knows all three of the men, and insists they are far from boy racers.

"Julian is a family man, he has two daughters and a wife, he works in the construction industry, he is very well respected in his community, and the company he works for.

"Dave Bentley is a family man with one son, two daughters and a wife, he does work with Julian's company, and they met through the Cannon run.

Mr Harrold, 45, lives in Wolverhampton with wife Tina, and has one daughter. He is managing director of Manifestation Designs & Signs in Willenhall.

Mr Cannon adds: "They are all lovely straight blokes, never the sort to be in any trouble with the law, they are hard-working family men.

"They are not at all boy-racer types. I know the cars they were driving could possibly tarred with the brush of boy racers , but not many boy racers can afford vehicles costing £80,000. They are not boy racer cars."

The week-long Cannon Run, which takes its inspiration from the 1981 film The Cannonball Run, saw entrants pay £699 for a road trip across Europe, beginning at Maidstone and ending in Monaco. As well as taking in some of Europe's most famous driving roads, it also included visits to the Nurburgring race track in Germany and the Ferrari museum in Italy.

"The majority of people taking part are aged 35 to 55, it is a road trip for car enthusiasts who want a bit of luxury. We always try to use the most scenic roads rather than the motorways."

He says there is a great atmosphere of camaraderie on the trips, where entrants help one another when there were problems.

Mr Cannon says everybody who took part in the trip was briefed about the importance of obeying local traffic laws. At the Swiss border, all drivers were reminded that the country had draconian traffic laws, and that speed limits must be rigorously observed.

He was in his hotel at the Stelvio Pass, in Italy, when he heard what had happened to the three men.

"I was devastated when I heard, Julian is a close friend of mine, and getting a phone call saying your friend's been sent to prison, and you don't know why, that's terrible," he says.

Mr Cannon says the men are bearing up as well as could be expected, but it was a traumatic time for both them and their families.

"I understand that the conditions they are being kept in are good, as prisons go," he says. Mr Bentley's daughter has also postponed her wedding because her father would be unable to attend.

He says the men are expected to learn their fate at a court hearing in September, and hopes the charges will be dropped.

Despite the ordeal, Mr Cannon says the experience will not deter him from running future trips through Switzerland.

"In the end, 47 out of 50 drivers got through because they did exactly what we told them to do," he says.

"Switzerland is a beautiful country, the views there, the stuff to see, the experience is second to none."