UK tourist recounts 'hellish' time in Sri Lanka over Buddha tattoo

British tourist Naomi Coleman poses for a photograph after she was arrested at the country's main international airport and later ordered with deportation for having a tattoo of the Buddha, in Colombo on April 22, 2014

Colombo (AFP) - A 37-year-old British nurse recounted Tuesday her "hellish" experience in Sri Lanka after she was arrested and sent to a deportation centre for sporting a Buddha tattoo deemed offensive by authorities.

Naomi Coleman was arrested at the country's main international airport on Monday shortly after her arrival on a flight from neighbouring India and appeared before a magistrate who ordered her deportation, police said in a statement.