A British tourist with brittle asthma has been stranded in Turkey for over a month after police allegedly mistook his life-threatening asthma attack for drunkenness, arrested him, and placed a ban on his passport, preventing him from returning home.
Holiday Turns Into Nightmare
Carl Ratcliffe, 47, from Stevenage, traveled to Bodrum, Turkey, on June 10 with his fiancée Natalia Flynn, 49, for what was meant to be a romantic getaway. Days into the trip, Carl suffered a severe asthma attack and was placed in an induced coma for three days. After recovering, he proposed to Natalia, but the celebration soon turned into what he describes as a nightmare.
The couple extended their stay while Carl awaited doctors' approval to fly home. Days later, he experienced another asthma attack. He told the Mirror: “Then I had an asthma attack, I was laying on the floor. A member of the public had to phone the ambulance.”
Arrest During Asthma Attack
A paramedic on a motorbike helped Carl to his feet, but he said the bike toppled over as he held it to steady himself. He said: “I couldn’t breathe. It felt like I was being suffocated and dizzy and the bike’s just toppled over away from me. The paramedic left me on the floor.”
Carl claimed police arrived while he was still having the attack and arrested him. He added: “They picked me up, and said if they don’t see my hands in front of my body they’ll shoot me. I was shouting ‘I’m having an asthma attack, I can’t breath.’” He said police could not speak English, handcuffed him—which worsens his condition—and arrested him for resisting arrest after he refused a breathalyser due to his asthma.
14 Hours in Faeces-Filled Cell
Carl was thrown into a prison cell for 14 hours while still suffering an asthma attack. He said: “It was faeces everywhere around the toilet, on the floor. There was a hole in the floor for the toilet. And there was rat poo everywhere. There was no water offered to me, no drink, no food, nothing. They didn’t even check on me.”
Fourteen hours later, Carl was released after a judge reviewed video footage and found no criminal activity. However, a passport block has since prevented him from leaving Turkey.
Further Medical Ordeal
Days later, Carl returned to hospital after another asthma attack. He said: “When I got there, they asked me what works for me, I told them magnesium and the next minute, I woke up five days later. They put me in an induced coma without even trying to help me.” He said his hands were tied to the bed, and he had to snap a rope to get water, spraining his wrist in the process.
Carl later discharged himself, fearing for his safety. He claimed the hospital refused to issue a fit-to-fly certificate after he contacted his insurer. He said: “Now I'm being held prisoner it’s like being arrested, my partner’s gone home so I'm here by myself … I’m running out of money - this isn’t a holiday, it’s a nightmare.”
Political and Community Support
Labour MP for Stevenage, Kevin Bonavia, is due to raise Carl's case in the House of Lords on July 17. Carl has launched a GoFundMe to cover mounting legal and living costs while he remains stranded.
