Family may not get answers over drowning in Turkey

A coroner has warned the family of a man who drowned a day into his holiday that they may never get answers about his death.

Paul McDonald was found face down in the sea by his wife in Antalya, Turkey, on 6 September.

Friends of the 57-year-old, from Harlow, attempted CPR and he was taken to hospital, but never regained consciousness and died nine days later, Essex Coroner's Court heard.

Area coroner Michelle Brown said his official cause of death was unknown, but that there was "no suspicion" surrounding it.

Opening the inquest in Chelmsford, she said: "On the evening of Saturday the 6th, this gentleman decided to go for a swim.

"His wife went to look for him a few minutes later and found him lying face down in the sea."

Brown said despite McDonald's death happening in a hospital, she had not been given much information about what happened.

She has previously criticised Turkish authorities for not supplying the court with details about British deaths in the country.

McDonald's family were not in court for the brief hearing, but Brown said she would warn them it could be "a long time before we get anything".

However, she conceded: "It's unlikely we're going to get anything, if at all, from Turkey."

The coroner said a full inquest would be heard at a later date if more information was supplied to her.

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