Latest news with #SevenSeasHotel
Daily Mirror
14-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
'My partner was escorted off Turkey flight - I never saw him again'
An inquest heard how dad Ben Crook, 32, was reported missing after he jetted off to Antalya with his partner Jess Jenkins and their two children on September 23 The partner of a "kind and caring" dad who was escorted off a flight to Turkey for being drunk has been left "traumatised" by his death. Ben Crook, 32, was reported missing after he jetted off to Antalya with his partner Jess Jenkins and their two children on September 23. An inquest at Gwent Coroner's Court on Tuesday heard that Ben had been escorted off the plane by Turkish police upon landing. After consuming alcohol and cocaine, he exhibited erratic behaviour on the flight, shouting at an air steward and smashing both his and Ms Jenkins' mobiles. Jess and her two youngest children spent days at police stations and searching the streets of Antalya to find him. However, heartbreaking news emerged that Ben had died after falling from a height, which led to him suffering a fractured skull and multiple other injuries. Heartbroken Jess has described Ben's death as "traumatic" after she spent days searching for him, telling Wales Online: "I spent every day at police stations and walking around Antalya trying to find him. "I am certain the police knew he was dead but didn't tell me. I didn't even know he had been taken to hospital, and still don't believe he had, as I haven't received a hospital bill and I still haven't been given any of his belongings. "After being escorted off the flight he was taken into a room and I was told to go through customs, carry on to the hotel and they would sort his arrival there. I told the customs officers where we were staying. "We arrived at 4am and by 7am I had called home to tell my family what had happened. By about 10am, when he hadn't arrived, I went looking for him. "I went to police stations every single day. The first day they had told me he been taken to Seven Seas Hotel and said they would bring me to him. I had our two children with me at the time and one of their friends, so three kids in total. "I went to this hotel and he was not there, he had never been taken there, but they continued giving me false hope he was alright. They knew he was dead by this point," she claimed. "He was found 40 minutes away from the hotel we were staying at and I do not believe it was an accident, he was petrified of dying. "I can't describe the feeling of when I found out he had passed away without crying. He was such a loving, caring, and kind person who would do anything for me and the kids. I am traumatised and I don't think I will ever be able to go on holiday ever again. "He was looking for me in his last moments. He sent messages to me and his dad from a Turkish man's phone, but we didn't see the messages until we had got home. "Me and Ben had been together for nine years and he raised my other two children, Ella, who is 17 now, and Harley, who is 16, as his own, before we had our own. "Ben was told by doctors he wouldn't be able to have kids but we conceived twice within the space of a year - our daughter Harper, is six years old now and our son Jax is five." In Ben's memory, nine of his family and friends are walking from "Sneg to Snowdon", which is 150 miles in five days, in the hope of raising £5,000 for Ben and Jess's children. They have set up a GoFundMe to try and reach the goal. On Monday, they walked from Senghenydd to Brecon, on Tuesday from Brecon to Rhayader, Wednesday from Rhayader to Machynlleth, Thursday from Machynlleth to Blaenau Ffestiniog and on the Friday they were due to reach the Snowdon Summit.
Wales Online
14-06-2025
- Wales Online
Mum-of-four's partner was escorted off holiday flight for being drunk, she never saw him again
Mum-of-four's partner was escorted off holiday flight for being drunk, she never saw him again 'He was such a loving, caring, and kind person who would do anything for me and the kids. I am traumatised and I don't think I will ever be able to go on holiday ever again' Jess and Ben, who had been together for nine years before his tragic death The partner of a man who died on their family holiday to Turkey has said she is only existing now for the sake of their kids, and that his death has traumatised her for life. Ben Crook, 32, from Caerphilly, died after suffering a fall on his arrival in Antalya in September last year. An inquest on Tuesday, June 10, at Gwent Coroner's Court heard that Ben had been escorted off the plane by Turkish police upon landing, after being drunk and disorderly during the flight. After this point, his partner Jessicca Jenkins, 38, and her two youngest children, would spend days at police stations and searching the streets of Antalya to find him. Then the awful news came that Ben had been found dead. Stay informed on Caerphilly news by signing up to our newsletter here It has been ruled that Ben died after falling from a height, which led to him suffering head injuries such as a fractured skull. He also had damage and bleeding to the brain and his pelvis had been fractured on both sides. Speaking to WalesOnline, Jess has described Ben's death as traumatic, and has said that now he is gone, a part of her is missing. She also alleges that Turkish police were concealing Ben's death from her for days. A family photo of Jess, Harper, Jax and Ben Article continues below "I spent every day at police stations and walking around Antalya trying to find him," said Jess. "I am certain the police knew he was dead but didn't tell me. I didn't even know he had been taken to hospital, and still don't believe he had, as I haven't received a hospital bill and I still haven't been given any of his belongings. "After being escorted off the flight he was taken into a room and I was told to go through customs, carry on to the hotel and they would sort his arrival there. I told the customs officers where we were staying. "We arrived at 4am and by 7am I had called home to tell my family what had happened. By about 10am, when he hadn't arrived, I went looking for him. "I went to police stations every single day. The first day they had told me he been taken to Seven Seas Hotel and said they would bring me to him. I had our two children with me at the time and one of their friends, so three kids in total. "I went to this hotel and he was not there, he had never been taken there, but they continued giving me false hope he was alright. They knew he was dead by this point," she claimed. "He was found 40 minutes away from the hotel we were staying at and I do not believe it was an accident, he was petrified of dying. "I can't describe the feeling of when I found out he had passed away without crying. He was such a loving, caring, and kind person who would do anything for me and the kids. I am traumatised and I don't think I will ever be able to go on holiday ever again. "He was looking for me in his last moments. "He sent messages to me and his dad from a Turkish man's phone, but we didn't see the messages until we had got home. "Me and Ben had been together for nine years and he raised my other two children, Ella, who is 17 now, and Harley, who is 16, as his own, before we had our own. "Ben was told by doctors he wouldn't be able to have kids but we conceived twice within the space of a year - our daughter Harper, is six years old now and our son Jax is five." Ben pictured at the hospital after the birth of his and Jess's first "miracle" child She added: "Harper was such a daddy's girl, she loved her daddy. We all did. In literally every photo I have of Harper and Ben together you can see the love she has for him in her eyes. "Since his death, I feel like half of me is missing, I have known Ben all of my life, he was part of me. "As parents, I was the strict one and he was the fun one. I would say no more sweets, Ben would take them to get more sweets. He would take them to the park even when it was 'too late.' All he wanted in life was for me and his children to be happy. "He provided for me, he provided for them. He would do anything for anyone." Nine of Ben's family and friends are doing a walk to raise money for his children In Ben's memory, nine of his family and friends are walking from "S neg to Snowdon", which is 150 miles in five days, in the hope of raising £5,000 for Ben and Jess's children. On Monday, they walked from Senghenydd to Brecon, on Tuesday from Brecon to Rhayader, Wednesday from Rhayader to Machynlleth, Thursday from Machynlleth to Blaenau Ffestiniog and on the Friday they were due to reach the Snowdon Summit. To donate to the GoFundMe, or to find out more about their walk, you can click here. Article continues below Jess's cousin Owen organised the walk and set up the GoFundMe. He described Ben as an "amazing human who was taken from us far too early."
Gulf Today
10-04-2025
- Sport
- Gulf Today
UAE's first-ever Woman Grandmaster Rouda to play in Norway Chess Open
In a bid to encourage chess players in the Middle East and provide a platform at the global stage, the organisers of Norway Chess — one of the most prestigious tournaments in the International Chess Federation (FIDE) calendar — invited the Emirate's first-ever female Grandmaster Rouda Essa Alserkal to participate in the Norway Chess Open 2025 which will see participation from 31 countries. The 15-year-old Rouda was formally presented with the invitation by Kjell Madland, Managing Director and visionary behind Norway Chess, in a press event held at the Seven Seas Hotel in Dubai on Wednesday. Also present on the occasion was Dr Mansoor Al Tamimi, Vice-Chairman of Technical Committee at Abu Dhabi Chess Club and Mind Games. Koneru Humpy, two-time women's world rapid chess champion, also joined virtually and wished Rouda ahead of her upcoming events. The Norway Chess Open 2025 will be held from May 26 to June 1 at the IMI Forum in Stavanger, attracting both grandmasters and ambitious chess players seeking title norms and valuable competitive experience. With previous participants like reigning World Champion Gukesh D, Praggnanandhaa, and Vaishali, who participated in the Norway Chess Open as budding players before their meteoric rise in the sport, the event has established itself as an essential arena for players seeking high-level competition. Speaking about providing this unique opportunity for Rouda, Madland expressed, 'Norway Chess is delighted to invite Rouda (Essa Alserkal) to participate in this year's Norway Chess Open 2025. 'I congratulate Rouda on the remarkable feat to become the first Woman Grandmaster from the UAE and she stands tall as an inspiration for women in this region to achieve. The Norway Chess Open provides a great opportunity for Grandmasters and chess players to hone their skills and gain competitive exposure. 'We hope to find and encourage many future chess stars from the Middle East to play in the Norway Chess Open.' Madland further highlighted the importance of growing chess as a competitive sport in the Middle East and expressed interest in creating further synergies with potential partners in the UAE. 'We are exploring the possibility of hosting Norway Chess tournament in the Middle East and potential partners are welcome to connect with us. We are also working to broadcast Norway Chess live to the fans in the Middle East,' he said. In the Norway Chess Open category, leading the list of participants is Rinat Jumbayev (KAZ), followed by strong contenders such as Gergely Kantor (HUN), Valentin Dragnev (AUT), Vitaly Kunin (GER), Norwegian Frode Urkedal (NOR), and Chinese grandmaster Jiner Zhu (CHN). Expressing her excitement to participate in the Norway Chess Open 2025, Rouda said, 'I am looking forward to the competition as I know Norway Chess is the strongest grooming ground for future chess superstars. 'When I first heard that I am getting invited for the Norway Chess Open, I could not believe it and I was so thrilled, I told my coach immediately - that I need to start preparing. This is the most prestigious tournament in the world and I am sure this experience will help me improve my game further.' 'I am also greatly looking forward to meet Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, also some of the Indian players like the new World Champion Gukesh who will be participating in the Norway Chess 2025,' she added. The Norway Chess Open features double rounds on Thursday, May 29, and Friday, May 30, providing excellent opportunities for title norms in the top group. In the Grandmaster category, which Rouda has been invited to participate, will have nine rounds, opportunity for title norms and a prize fund of €13,000. Last year, Carlsen won his sixth Norway Chess title, while Women's World Champion Ju Wenjun emerged victorious in the inaugural women's event. Norway Chess and Norway Chess Women, feature the same format and same prize money. Both tournaments follow a six-player double round-robin format.
Mid East Info
10-04-2025
- Sport
- Mid East Info
UAE's first-ever Woman Grandmaster Rouda Essa Alserkal to play the Norway Chess Open 2025 - Middle East Business News and Information
In a bid to encourage chess players in the Middle East and provide a platform at the global stage, the organisers of Norway Chess – one of the most prestigious tournaments in the FIDE chess calendar – has invited Emirate's first-ever female grandmaster Rouda Essa Alserkal to participate in the Norway Chess Open 2025 which will see participation from 31 countries. The 15-year-old Rouda was formally presented with the invitation by Kjell Madland, Managing Director and visionary behind Norway Chess, today at a press event in Seven Seas Hotel in Dubai. Also present at the grand occasion was Dr Mansoor Al Tamimi, Vice Technical Committee Chair, the Technical Director from the Abu Dhabi Chess Club and Mind Games. Koneru Humpy, two-time women's world rapid chess champion, also joined virtually and wished Rouda ahead of her upcoming events. The Norway Chess Open 2025 will be held from May 26 to June 1 at the IMI Forum in Stavanger, attracting both grandmasters and ambitious chess players seeking title norms and valuable competitive experience. With previous participants like reigning World Champion Gukesh D, Praggnanandhaa, and Vaishali, who participated in the Norway Chess Open as budding players before their meteoric rise in the sport, has established itself as an essential arena for players seeking high-level competition. Speaking about providing this unique opportunity for Rouda, Kjell Madland expressed, 'Norway Chess is delighted to invite Rouda Essa Alserkal to participate in this year's Norway Chess Open 2025. I congratulate Rouda on the remarkable feat to become the first woman Chess Grandmaster from the UAE and she stands tall as an inspiration for women in this region to achieve. The Norway Chess Open provides a great opportunity for Grandmasters and chess players to hone their skills and gain competitive exposure. We hope to find and encourage many future chess stars from the Middle East to play in the Norway Chess Open.' Madland further highlighted the importance of growing chess as a competitive sport in the Middle East and expressed interest in creating further synergies with potential partners in the UAE. 'We are exploring the possibility of hosting Norway Chess tournament in the Middle East and potential partners are welcome to connect with us. We are also working to broadcast Norway Chess live to the fans in the Middle East,' he said. In the Norway Chess Open category, leading the list of participants is Rinat Jumbayev (KAZ), followed by strong contenders such as Gergely Kantor (HUN), Valentin Dragnev (AUT), Vitaly Kunin (GER), Norwegian Frode Urkedal (NOR), and Chinese grandmaster Jiner Zhu (CHN). Expressing her excitement to participate in the Norway Chess Open 2025, Rouda said, 'I am looking forward to the competition as I know Norway Chess is the strongest grooming ground for future chess superstars. When I first heard that I am getting invited for the Norway Chess Open, I could not believe it and I was so thrilled, I told my coach immediately – that I need to start preparing. This is the most prestigious tournament in the world and I am sure this experience will help me improve my game further.' 'I am also greatly looking forward to meet Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, also some of the Indian players like the new World Champion Gukesh who will be participating in the Norway Chess 2025,' she added. The Norway Chess Open features double rounds on Thursday, May 29, and Friday, May 30, providing excellent opportunities for title norms in the top group. In the Grandmaster Group, which Rouda has been invited to participate, will have nine rounds, opportunity for title norms and a prize fund of €13,000. Please see attached images from the event. About Norway Chess 2025: The Norway Chess Open is held simultaneously along with the marquee Norway Chess 2025 which will see a star-studded line-up featuring world no.1 Magnus Carlsen (Norway), Hikaru Nakamura (USA), Gukesh D (India), Fabiano Caruana (USA), Arjun Erigaisi (India), and Wei Yi (China) among the men while the Norway Chess Women will feature Ju Wenjun (China), Lei Tingjie (China), Humpy Koneru (India), Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine), Vaishali Rameshbabu (India), and Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (Spain). Norway Chess and Norway Chess Women, feature the same format, same prize money, and take place in the same playing hall. Both tournaments follow a 6-player double round-robin format.
