A RELATIVE of a Grimsby man who died in police custody in Turkey has called for greater awareness of epilepsy.
An inquest heard William Tyas, 67, of Field Close, Laceby, was mistaken as a mental health patient or a drunk by Turkish police because he was found wandering in a bazaar, while on holiday.
But the inquest at Cleethorpes Town Hall heard Mr Tyas had suffered from epilepsy from a young age.
A verdict of death from natural causes was recorded after the inquest heard how he was later found collapsed in the police station in Antalya, Turkey, in October 2011.
His niece, Jeanette Burgess, of Holton-le-Clay, said today there needed to be more awareness among members of the public how to spot the tell-tale signs of someone having a seizure and what to do in an emergency.
She said she believes her uncle would still be alive today if the officers had been more aware of what to do.
A post mortem examination carried out at the University Hospital in Aqaba concluded his death was from natural causes and there was a negative alcohol reading.
Mr Tyas was due to return to his Laceby home the day after he was taken into police custody.
Police officers described how he was incoherent and wandered along the police station corridor, where he was seen urinating.
He was then left in an interview room from 10.30am to 4pm, when he was found unconscious.
A report from Turkish authorities said officers described how Mr Tyas was trying to speak to them but they could not make out what he was saying.
Paramedics were called to the police station when the Grimsby man was found collapsed but they could not revive him, the inquest heard.
A report to the coroner said police officers discovered his medication in his hotel bedroom.
Mrs Burgess told the inquest: "My uncle lived a semi-independent life in Laceby. He had a few friends with similar health issues and went to his social club each week. The Laceby community knew him and accepted him for who he was.
"He suffered from epilepsy from a young age and quite severely."
She added: "He would become agitated if he did not understand something and he needed help.
"He was aware of his condition but was not very good at explaining it to other people."
She told how during one seizure at home he hauled a radiator off the wall and flooded his bungalow.
Mrs Burgess said: "After a seizure he would be confused and dazed.
"In the police station he would be frightened because he would not be able to make himself understood."
She said her uncle enjoyed visiting a village pub occasionally to watch football on TV but was "not a drinker".
He regularly went on holiday with friends and they sometimes went abroad.
He also felt confident to go abroad on his own which is what he did on the trip to Turkey.
Recording a verdict of natural causes, Grimsby and North Lincolnshire coroner Paul Kelly said the report from the Turkish authorities had been comprehensive.
He said: "They started from the premise that he was intoxicated.
"He was presenting himself in a confused way and it was as a result of epilepsy. Unfortunately, they (police officers) were not able to identify that and not able to deal with what, in effect, was a medical emergency."
Mr Tyas was a former construction worker – who helped to build Scartho Baths – was renowned for his adventurous spirit and loved travelling. He also supported both Lincoln and Grimsby Town football clubs and was a regular at Laceby Royal British Legion.
After the inquest, the niece said: "The verdict is closure. It is what his family felt had happened, that he had been misjudged."
