A British couple has claimed a birthday trip to Turkey ended in torture at the hands of police who allegedly punched, kicked and poured water over the man’s head and sexually assaulted his partner.
The 30-year-old man and his partner, 23, from the West Midlands, flew to Antalya to celebrate the woman’s birthday by spending two days in Kemer – a coastal resort 50 minutes south of the airport.
The holidaymakers claim they were effectively abducted by several police officers and taken to what they described as a ‘military base’ where guards proceeded to torture them by violently beating the man and forcing his girlfriend to drink an unidentifiable ‘black liquid’.
‘About six officers ended up hitting me, punching me, slapping me on my head and face. Everyone was taking turns,’ said the male victim, who wished to remain anonymous.
‘They took me to a back garden. I was still in handcuffs. They told me to get onto my knees.
‘I thought “this is it, I’m going to die”. The atmosphere felt like death. They then hosed me down in cold water for half an hour. I was shivering,’ he declared.
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A couple has claimed a birthday trip to Turkey ended in torture at the hands of police who ‘punched, kicked and poured water over man’s head’ and ‘sexually assaulted’ his partner (pictured: injuries to the woman’s face after the holiday)
The woman was left with bruising on her body and face as well as what she said looked like a needle wound
The 30-year-old man and his partner, 23, from the West Midlands, flew to Antalya to celebrate the woman’s birthday by spending two days in Kemer (pictured)
The nightmare began on May 11 – a day after their arrival in Turkey – when the pair decided to retire to their hotel after spending the afternoon in a cocktail bar.
The Brit, who requested to remain anonymous, said one local tried to pull his girlfriend’s bag away from her.
He yelled at the would-be mugger and scared him away, allowing the pair to continue walking toward their hotel.
But minutes later a police car pulled up beside them.
Six officers piled out of the car, according to the 30-year-old holidaymaker, and told the couple they had to come back to the police station.
The tourists now believe the location was some kind of military base given how far away the destination was from their initial location.
When they arrived, the pair say they were immediately split up, placed in separate rooms and tortured by the group of Turkish police officers.
The man recounted how he was brutally beaten by the guards, hosed down with cold water with his hands cuffed behind his back, and then left to shiver in the evening air.
The horrified tourist then described how he heard his girlfriend screaming in another room.
She later claimed she had been sexually assaulted by the guards.
He added: ‘They made her drink a black liquid and threatened her if she didn’t.’
The woman claims she was sexually assaulted by guards and forced to drink an unidentifiable liquid. Bruising on her face is seen in this image
The shocking ordeal took place in Kemer (pictured) – a coastal resort 50 minutes south of the airport
The nightmare came to an abrupt end when a man the tourists described as a ‘good sergeant’ arrived and asked officers what was going on.
The pair were promptly released but had been relieved of all their possessions, including phones and money.
The woman also suspects she was injected with an unknown substance after later discovering what appeared to be a needle-like wound on her body.
Reeling from their shocking ordeal, the British tourists were desperate to leave, deciding to check out of their hotel the next day and catch a flight back to the UK.
But they had to face yet more fear and intimidation.
The man claimed that when they went down to the check out desk, some of the officers were waiting for them in the lobby.
Their tormentors remained silent, simply watching the couple as they packed their bags and left the hotel.
But upon their arrival at the airport, the couple said they were stopped by another officer, who gave them a mobile phone with a live call.
To their shock, when they answered the call they heard one of the captors on the other end of the line, who allegedly threatened them and told them to ‘keep quiet’.
Explaining how the unsettling incident unfolded, the British tourist said: ‘(The airport officer) has come back to me and said there is someone on the phone who wants to speak to you. I was thinking, “thank god, it is the British Embassy.”
‘But it was the same police officers who assaulted us. They said “go back to your country. If you ever talk about our police again, there will be trouble.”
‘I was about to break down, thinking are they going to come here? Me and my girlfriend were running around the airport hiding.
‘As soon as we got checked in and were in the air, I said to my girlfriend “we are going home”.
‘It was the worst experience of my life.’
Upon their arrival at Antalya airport, the couple said they were stopped by another officer who gave them a mobile phone with a live call. On the other end of the line were their captors, threatening them and telling them to ‘keep quiet’
The couple’s flight took off from Turkey late on May 12 and landed early the next morning on May 13.
Once they landed at Birmingham Airport, the dishevelled pair were stopped by West Midlands Police officers who were concerned about their welfare, the man said.
‘As soon as we got off the aeroplane, the (West Midlands) police officers saw us,’ he said.
‘They have come and grabbed me, thinking “do we have domestic violence here?” I didn’t even say anything, my girlfriend started crying, she was saying “look at his body”.’
The man said once police officers saw his injuries, the couple were asked about what had taken place.
West Midlands Police confirmed it had spoken to the couple and they were issued with advice.
The man added: ‘We just want justice.’
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police added: ‘Officers spoke to two people at Birmingham Airport on May 13 who made several allegations they were assaulted whilst abroad. They were supported by officers and provided with advice.’
A spokesperson for the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: ‘We are supporting a British couple following an incident in Turkey and are in contact with the local authorities.’
