Carl Ratcliffe, a 47-year-old British holidaymaker, claims he was arrested and treated like an animal in Turkey after police mistook his life-threatening asthma attack for drunkenness. The incident, which occurred on June 23, has left him stranded in the country for over a month.
Holiday from hell
Ratcliffe, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, flew to the luxury Susona Hotel in Bodrum with his fiancée Natalia Flynn, 49, on June 10 for an eight-day getaway. Two days into the trip, he suffered a severe asthma attack during an evening walk and was rushed to Bodrum American Hospital, where he was placed in an induced coma for three days.
After waking, Ratcliffe proposed to Flynn, and the couple waited for a fit-to-fly certificate to return home. However, on June 23, while watching England's match against Ghana in a bar, Ratcliffe suffered a second asthma attack. Fellow holidaymakers called an ambulance, but police allegedly assumed he was drunk and arrested him.
Arrest and custody
According to Ratcliffe, a paramedic on a motorbike arrived, but he fell into it and knocked it over. Passing police officers thought he was intoxicated from the football game. He told Sell Us Your Story: "They thought I was drunk from watching the football game. I told them I could not breathe and I was having an attack but they said they didn't speak English."
He was arrested for resisting arrest, failing to provide a breathalyzer sample, and alleged abuse. Instead of being taken to hospital, Ratcliffe was driven to Bodrum police station, stripped down to his shorts, and locked in a tiny cell. He described the cell as "horrid" and "absolutely stunk," with only a chair and a hole in the corner for a toilet covered in faeces.
Ratcliffe managed to calm his asthma attack after four hours. He was then taken to another police station for mugshots and fingerprints. He claims armed officers threatened to shoot him if he put his hands down by his side. "They had handguns on them, and I was scared they were going to use them on me," he said.
Court appearance and travel ban
After 14 hours in custody, Ratcliffe appeared in court, where blood tests proved he had no alcohol in his system. Despite being de-arrested, a judge imposed a travel restriction on his passport while investigating damage to the motorcycle. Ratcliffe offered to pay for any genuine damage through insurance, but the ban remains.
He said: "The judge recognised that I had suffered a medical emergency, but said the matter relating to the motorcycle required further investigation. We immediately offered to pay for any genuine damage, including through our insurance, but a travel restriction was placed on my passport while the investigation continued."
Ratcliffe has been stranded in Turkey for 34 days, facing £10,000 in debts from accommodation, legal fees, living costs, and mortgage payments back home. He said: "I'm a strong character but what I have been through is ridiculous. I could have died in the hands of the police on two occasions, while suffering a panic attack and if they had shot me. I'm also praying I don't have another asthma attack as I don't want to go back to hospital."
Family's plea
His mother, Francine Kelly, 65, from County Down, Northern Ireland, said: "They treated him like an animal, I am heartbroken. I just want him home and safe in the UK."
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We are supporting a British man in Turkey, and are in touch with the local authorities." Both Bodrum Police and Bodrum American Hospital have been approached for comment.
