A 20-year-old woman from Croydon, south London, died from an abdominal infection days after undergoing weight-loss surgery in Turkey, an inquest heard today. Morgan Ribeiro travelled to Istanbul on January 5, 2024, for a £2,500 gastric sleeve operation. Three days after surgery, she was cleared to fly home by her surgeon, but became very unwell during the return flight to London Gatwick.
The aircraft made an emergency landing in Belgrade, Serbia, where she was admitted to intensive care. She died on January 13. A post-mortem examination in Serbia, reviewed by a UK pathologist, recorded the cause of death as diffuse inflammation of the retroperitoneum and rupture of the intestinal wall. It is suspected her small intestine was punctured during the surgery, leading to infection.
Assistant Coroner Laura Stephenson, sitting at South London Coroner's Court, said she could not record a conclusion because the surgeon, Dr Serkan Bayil, had not responded to repeated requests for information. She named the clinic as Apera Health Group. Dr Bayil has previously claimed Ms Ribeiro died of an embolism, which contradicts the Serbian findings.
Ms Stephenson adjourned the inquest until August 28, stating she would record a conclusion on that date whether or not contact is made. She noted the difficulty of obtaining information from a foreign jurisdiction. Morgan's father, Richard Ribeiro, said through tears, 'I have waited two years for this. I’ll wait as long as it takes. I want to know whether it was malpractice or not.'
Morgan's mother, Erin Gibson, previously told the Mirror: 'I want justice. Not just for Morgan but for anybody else who has gone through this. It’s wrong, it shouldn’t be happening.' Morgan had decided on the surgery after years of bullying about her weight. A similar operation in the UK costs between £8,000 and £10,000.
