Welsh dad died after being escorted from plane in Turkey

North Wales Live

2 days ago

A Welsh dad died after falling from a height while on holiday in Turkey. The tragedy happened after he was removed from a flight for intoxicated behaviour and became separated from his family.
However it was only after his own father travelled to Turkey to find out what had happened to Ben Crook, they learnt he had died.
32-year-old Mr Crook, was reported missing after he flew out to Antalya with his partner Jess Jenkins and their two children on September 23.
An inquest heard, having drunk alcohol and taken cocaine, he behaved erratically on the flight by shouting at an air steward and smashing his and Ms Jenkins' phones.
Upon landing in Turkey on September 24, Mr Crook, from Abertridwr, Caerphilly, was escorted off the plane and separated from Ms Jenkins. She was instructed to leave the airport and took a taxi to their hotel with the children.
The inquest held at Gwent Coroner's Court on Tuesday revealed that Mr Crook never made it to the hotel, reports Wales Online.
As a result of his son's disappearance, Mr Crook's father travelled to Turkey and discovered his son had died, having fallen from a height and suffered fatal injuries.
A post mortem examination carried out at the Antalya Forensic Institute on September 24 revealed Mr Crook had suffered external injuries and lacerations which were in keeping with a fall. He died at Antalya Training and Research Hospital at 2.15am on September 25.
Mr Crook's body was repatriated to the UK and a further post mortem examination was carried out at Grange University Hospital by Dr Majid Rashid on October 22.
The examination revealed the deceased had suffered head injuries and bruising to his upper limbs as well as cuts and multiple abrasions to his abdominal wall. There had been an incision to the chest wall which suggested a chest tube had been inserted to drain fluid.
The vault of Mr Crook's skull had been fractured, there was damage and bleeding to the brain and the pelvis had been fractured on both sides.
A toxicology report revealed the presence of cocaine, alcohol, ketamine and cocaethylene in Mr Crook's blood, with the ketamine likely administered during his treatment.
Dr Rashid recorded the medical cause of death as fractured skull and pelvis caused by blunt trauma as a result of a fall.
In a statement read out to the court by senior coroner Caroline Saunders, Ms Jenkins said Mr Crook had started drinking alcohol before they arrived at the airport and bought duty free alcohol at the airport which they planned to drink at their hotel.
Why journalists cover inquests and why it's crucial that we do
Reporting on an inquest can be one of the hardest types of stories a journalist can write.
More often than not, they are emotionally charged proceedings attended by grief-stricken people who are desperate for answers.
Sometimes, inquests can seem quite clinical due to a coroner's need to remain impartial and level-headed so that they can draw a conclusion from desperately sad events.
As painful as these proceedings are for those who have lost a loved one, the lessons that can be learned from inquests can go a long way to saving others' lives.
Families are often surprised - and sometimes angry - when they see a reporter in attendance.
Understandably they worry the nature of their loved one's death will be sensationalised and that a news story will forever tarnish their memory.
Responsible and ethically minded journalists will do what they can to report inquests sensitively, while not shying away from the often upsetting facts.
It is vital that the public don't forget that inquests are a type of judicial inquiry; they are after all held in a coroner's court.
The press has a legal right to attend inquests and has a responsibility to report on them as part of their duty to uphold the principle of 'open justice'.
But in doing so journalists must follow the guidance provided by the Independent Press Standards Organisation and set out in Editors' Code of Conduct.
It's a journalist's duty to make sure the public understands the reasons why someone has died and to make sure their deaths are not kept secret.
An inquest report can also clear up any rumours or suspicion surrounding a person's death.
But most importantly of all, an inquest report can draw attention to circumstances which may stop further deaths from happening.
Inquests are not criminal courts - there is no prosecution or defence - they are fact-finding tribunals which seek to answer four key questions:
Who is the person who died?
Where did they die?
When did they die?
How did they die?
They do not apportion blame.
Once these questions are answered a coroner will be able to record a conclusion.
The wider lessons that can be learned from an inquest can have far-reaching consequences - but if journalists do not attend them how can the public be made aware?
The harsh reality is they can't. Coroners often do not publish the results of an inquest.
Should journalists shy away from attending inquests then an entire arm of the judicial system - and numerous others who need to answer vital questions - is not held to account.
Inquests can often prompt a wider discussion on serious issues, the most recent of these being mental health and suicide.
Editors actively ask and encourage reporters to speak to the family and friends of a person who is the subject of an inquest.
Their contributions help us create a clearer picture of the person who died and also provides the opportunity to pay tribute to their loved one.
Often families do not wish to speak to the press and of course that decision has to be respected.
However, as has been seen by many brilliant campaigns run by newspapers and websites up and down the country, the input of a person's family and friends can make all the difference in helping to save others.
Without the attendance of the press at inquests questions will remain unanswered, debates unargued and lives lost.
The flight was delayed so the couple began drinking the duty free alcohol. Ms Jenkins said her partner was a "nervous flier" but they were "chatting and joking" before take off.
During the flight, she said Mr Crook's behaviour changed and he began shouting at a male steward, demanding alcohol. He then broke both his and Ms Jenkins' mobile phones and as a result of his behaviour he was escorted off the plane and became separated from his partner.
Speaking about Mr Crook's alcohol and drug use, Ms Jenkins said her partner used cocaine recreationally and only did so when he had been drinking.
Mr Crook's sister Amy said her brother had had issues with drugs and alcohol and his consumption had increased in the months before his death.
She said her brother also suffered with his mental health, which was impacted by his drug and alcohol use, but Ms Crook said there was nothing to suggest he would take his own life and leave his two children without a father.
Upon returning from Turkey, Mr Crook's father realised he had received a message in his Facebook Messenger spam folder which appeared to be from his son, in which he was trying to find out the name of the hotel where his partner was staying. There was a further message again requesting contact.
Members of Mr Crook's family had contact from a number of unidentified individuals in Turkey who claimed they had seen the deceased before his death.
One woman who made contact with Ms Jenkins wrote: "Hello, we have just seen your post about Ben being missing. We saw him on September 24 at lunchtime. He approached me and my husband for help while walking near Kaleici Harbour. He said he smashed up his phone and had brought a new one but it was not ringing for some reason. He used my phone to send a message to his friend and we gave him our number if he needed more help. He looked shaken and hungover. After the Facebook message and ringing his friend, he crossed the harbour and walked, we presumed, to the police station for help."
Friends and family of Mr Crook later received messages from people, including photographs of what appeared to be Mr Crook lying supine on rocky ground at the bottom of a tall building.
Others suggested Mr Crook had fallen at around 6.20pm on September 24, while he was smoking. There was no suggestion of third party involvement.
Delivering her conclusion, Ms Saunders said: "(Alcohol and drugs) may have caused disorientation and poor judgement but this is insufficient to determine he fell as a result of the drugs he had taken.
"I find the fall was an accident, the exact details of which are unknown...
"On September 24, 2024, Ben Crook fell from height whilst on holiday in Turkey and sustained severe head and pelvic injuries and died on September 25, 2024. The conclusion I reach is that of an accident."
The coroner offered her sincere condolences to Mr Crook's family in the courtroom.