A number of Scots abroad have been subject to shocking attacks over the last few years, including spiking incidents, homophobic abuse, and gang attacks in countries like Croatia, Spain, and Thailand. Victims of all ages, from teenagers to pensioners, and from holidaymakers to expats, have been left vulnerable and shaken up after being set upon while going about their business overseas.
This week, it was revealed a Scottish student was allegedly raped by a man she met on Tinder while studying in Milan. The 25-year-old woman reportedly met the Russian man on the dating app before they arranged to meet at a club in the Italian city on Saturday night. Italian police are investigating claims the woman was sexually assaulted after she went back to the man's apartment following their night out.
Teen spiked in Magaluf nightclub
A young footballer told of the terrifying moment she was spiked with a date-rape drug in a Magaluf nightclub. Taylor Coulter, 18, had travelled to the Spanish resort in June for a girls holiday to mark the end of high school. But her celebrations turned into a horrible nightmare. A man who deliberately bumped into her in the Bananas club on the notorious strip injected her arm with GHB (γ-hydroxybutyrate) - a potent central nervous system depressant commonly used for rendering its victims unconscious.
The young Greenock Morton Women's FC player collapsed on the dance floor within minutes. She was left vomiting and unable to walk, talk or see. Taylor, from Port Glasgow, told the Record: "I remember thinking 'Am I going to survive? Am I going to make it?' I was so scared I was going to die. If my pals hadn't been there, who knows what might have happened to me."
Couple beaten in homophobic attack in Italy
A couple were left 'traumatised' and suffering from daily panic attacks after a homophobic attack in Italy. Sunday Russell, 29, had been in Venice with partner Martina Bressamutti, 28, when the incident took place in February 2022. The pair had met up with a female friend and her boyfriend at a local bar in the Via Garibaldi area when the man started being homophobic towards the couple and aggressive towards his girlfriend. Bar staff asked him to leave.
Shortly afterwards, Sunday, Martina, and their friend noticed the man hiding in an alleyway across the street. The thug chased them to their flat, kicked the door in after they managed to get inside, and launched a brutal attack. Sunday, who uses they/them pronouns, was dragged onto the street where the man pushed them on the ground, rained blows on to their face, and pinned their hand down by his knee to stop them protecting themself. Sunday said: "He was being homophobic and transphobic and telling me he was going to kill me and kick my face in. It was so scary."
Man beaten in Thailand over jet ski row
A Scottish woman's fiancé was beaten black and blue in Thailand in a row over a damaged jet ski in July. Shannon McGinn, from Edinburgh, lives in Phuket with fiancé Natthapol 'Boon' Deiteiam, who runs a jet-ski business. He had rented out two jet skis to an American family - but claims when they returned the jet ski they had caused £560 of damage after crashing it on July 7. Boon, 30, said he chased after the family who walked away without paying for the damage. Shocking CCTV showed a male US tourist grabbing hold of Boon and slamming him to the ground before unleashing five brutal punches to the face.
Shannon, 29, said she felt sick after watching the horrifying attack on camera that left Boon with facial fractures. Speaking to Sell Us Your Story, she said: "When I visited him in the hospital, he was unrecognisable. His face was swollen like a balloon. It breaks my heart every time I look at him. His actions were shocking."
Elderly couple knocked unconscious in Thailand
The daughter of a gran who was kicked and punched unconscious by Thai thugs spoke of her upset after horrifying video footage emerged of the attack. Rose and Lewis Owen’s daughter Ceri Venables, 38, said her parents were still in hospital in Thailand two weeks after they were battered repeatedly by a gang during celebrations for the Thai New Year in 2016. Glasgow-born Rose, then aged 69, was set upon by a group of no-gooders who were rampaging through a busy street in the Hua Hin resort. Her Welsh husband Lewis, 68, and his son Lewis Junior, 43, suffered head injuries requiring stitches but Rose was more severely injured, suffering a build-up of fluid in the brain that was removed.
Disturbing footage of the attack captures the Glaswegian, her husband, and his son being knocked to the ground during the savage beating, which saw Rose being kicked hard in the face.
Man left in coma after Ibiza attack
A man was left fighting for his life after being viciously attacked in Ibiza. Gavin Robertson was punched in the head while en route to a cash point just seven hours before he was due to fly home from the party island in August 2019. The then-28-year-old, from Stewarton, Ayrshire, was left fighting for his life in a Spanish hospital and had to be put into a medically induced coma after he suffered bleeding on the brain and a serious lung infection. His mum Kirsty McMaster confirmed Gavin had opened his eyes for the first time almost three weeks after the horrific incident. He remained in intensive care and was still on a ventilator while he made a "slow recovery".
A fundraising campaign to support Gavin and his family reached more than £41,000 of a £60,000 target after it was revealed he had not taken out travel insurance before he flew to Spain. Kirsty said: "The journey for Gavin is going to be slow. He is currently still in intensive care and on a ventilator but hopefully over this coming week we will see improvement and will be a step closer to bringing him home."
Man left unconscious in sea after Croatia attack
A young man was left lying in the sea unconscious after being badly beaten and hit with a brick in a horror gang attack on the first day of his holiday. Lewis Thomson was in Split, Croatia with four of his pals in July 2022 when they were savagely attacked and chased by a group of around 20 men on the beach in the early hours of the morning. Lewis, from Grangemouth, became separated from his mates while they tried to outrun the vicious thugs but he took the brunt of the attack when he was caught.
He was beaten, kicked, stamped on, punched, and hit in the face with a brick. Lewis was then thrown into the sea while unconscious. He was rushed to hospital and suffered a 1cm tear in his lung, two broken ribs, and bad facial injuries. Lewis' parents flew to Croatia to be by his side before the family returned home three weeks later.
