A FATHER from Caerphilly died in Turkey after being removed from a flight due to intoxicated behaviour, prompting a desperate search by his family that ended in tragedy.
Ben Crook, 32, from Abertridwr, travelled to Antalya on 23 September 2024 with his partner Jess Jenkins and their two children. During the flight, Mr Crook became intoxicated after drinking alcohol and taking cocaine, and began acting erratically. He shouted at a male flight attendant and smashed both his and Ms Jenkins’ mobile phones, an inquest at Gwent Coroner’s Court heard.
Upon arrival in Turkey the following day, Mr Crook was escorted from the aircraft and separated from his partner and children. Ms Jenkins was instructed to leave the airport and took a taxi with the children to their hotel. Mr Crook never arrived.
With no word from his son, Mr Crook’s father travelled to Turkey to search for him. It was there that he learned the devastating news: Ben had died in the early hours of 25 September after falling from a height and sustaining fatal injuries.
A post-mortem conducted at the Antalya Forensic Institute confirmed Mr Crook had suffered injuries consistent with a fall, including multiple lacerations and trauma. He died at 2.15am at Antalya Training and Research Hospital.
Following the repatriation of his body to the UK, a second post-mortem was carried out at Grange University Hospital by Dr Majid Rashid. It revealed extensive injuries: fractures to the skull and pelvis, bleeding on the brain, and bruising to the upper limbs. An incision to the chest suggested medical attempts to drain fluid during treatment. Dr Rashid concluded the cause of death was blunt force trauma caused by a fall.
Toxicology tests identified the presence of alcohol, cocaine, cocaethylene, and ketamine in Mr Crook’s system. The ketamine was believed to have been administered during emergency treatment.
A statement from Ms Jenkins, read aloud in court by senior coroner Caroline Saunders, described Mr Crook as a “nervous flier” who had begun drinking before they reached the airport. After purchasing duty-free alcohol, the couple drank together during a delay. She said they had been “chatting and joking” before take-off, but Mr Crook’s behaviour deteriorated mid-flight.
“He started shouting at the steward and demanding more alcohol,” she said. “He smashed our phones, and because of his behaviour he was taken off the flight.”
Ms Jenkins told the court that Mr Crook used cocaine recreationally and only in conjunction with alcohol. His sister, Amy Crook, said his drug and alcohol use had worsened in recent months and that he struggled with his mental health. However, she stressed there was no indication he would have deliberately harmed himself or abandoned his two children.
After returning from Turkey, Mr Crook’s father discovered two messages in his Facebook Messenger spam folder, sent by his son in the hours after they had been separated. In the messages, Mr Crook appeared confused and was trying to locate the hotel where his family were staying.
In the days that followed, the family received messages from strangers in Turkey who claimed to have seen Mr Crook before his death. One woman who contacted Ms Jenkins said she and her husband had encountered Mr Crook near Kaleici Harbour around lunchtime on 24 September.
“He approached us for help,” she wrote. “He said he’d smashed his phone and bought another but couldn’t get it to ring. He looked shaken and hungover. He used my phone to message a friend and we gave him our number in case he needed more help. After making the call, he walked off, and we assumed he was going to the police station.”
Photos later sent to the family showed a man believed to be Mr Crook lying at the foot of a tall building. Witnesses suggested he may have fallen at around 6.20pm while smoking. The inquest found no evidence of third-party involvement.
In her conclusion, Senior Coroner Caroline 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 substances he had taken.
“I find the fall was an accident, the exact circumstances of which remain unclear.
“On 24 September 2024, Ben Crook fell from a height while on holiday in Turkey and sustained severe head and pelvic injuries. He died the following day. I conclude this was an accidental death.”
Ms Saunders offered her sincere condolences to Mr Crook’s family in court.
