The family of a Fife teenager stabbed in Turkey in a row over a faulty handbag say he has come out of a medical coma and “should be OK”.
Callum Copson, 19, of Kennoway, was stabbed in the stomach, with other tourists desperately trying to stem the flow of blood after he collapsed in front of his screaming girlfriend following the attack by a teenager in a leather goods shop in Marmaris.
Callum needed two life-saving operations and, according to the Mirror newspaper, was in a stable condition.
Speaking to The Courier on Monday, a family member said: “He’s going to be OK. We are just trying to deal with the situation just now.
“He’s out of his induced coma. He’s awake and talking. It’s a very difficult time for the family.”
According to reports, Callum was knifed as he tried to shield girlfriend Erin Brown, 18, when angry shop staff allegedly threw belts, bags and shoes at her. The couple had got into a row with them when they returned a faulty handbag.
Witnesses said a teenage boy suddenly appeared with a fruit knife and plunged it into Callum’s stomach before fleeing.
Erin told police: “Suddenly there was blood everywhere. I realised Callum was seriously hurt. He was shocked and kept saying ‘I don’t want to die’. It was awful.”
Horrified eye-witness Sandra Dempsey, 54, said: “You could see his insides spewing out. It was shocking.”
Another Brit who was in the shop on Wednesday night said: “I was with my young son when the couple came in and asked for a refund on a faulty bag.
“Things seemed to spiral out of control very quickly and suddenly they were lobbing bags and belts at each other.
“The next minute the lad collapsed in a pool of blood, clutching his stomach. It was a gruesome scene and I covered my son’s eyes.”
The man, who did not want to be named, added: “Everyone was in shock. The injured lad was terrified. Fortunately paramedics arrived in minutes.”
Callum was rushed to the private Ahu Hetman Hospital for emergency surgery.
Hospital staff refused to comment on his condition. His parents, Eric and Lorraine, have flown out to join Erin at their son’s bedside.
Following the attack a 14-year-old boy was taken to the police by his father who works in the bag shop.
The youngster is understood to have mental health issues. He is said to have told his father and the police he could remember holding a bloodstained knife but nothing more. He was remanded in custody by a judge who has ordered a psychiatric evaluation.
Family friend Nadir Koyunbakan said: “We are devastated for Callum Copson and his family.
“They are guests in Turkey and this should never have happened. We are so very sorry.”