Derbyshire couple demand answers after honeymoon is ruined by illness

Aimee and John Owen both suffered with severe illness during their stay at the Riu Touareg Hotel in Cape Verde in October.

John was told by his GP that he was suffering from Shigella upon his return to the UK, an infectious disease caused by bacteria, with symptoms including diarrhoea, a high fever and stomach cramps.

Now, John, 32, and Aimee, 26, are hoping for answers regarding the ordeal after instructing solicitors Irwin Mitchell to investigate the problems they faced on their honeymoon, which was booked through Thomson.

Aimee and John, of Chesterfield, told their legal team that they were concerned to note that there were other guests at the hotel suffering with similar symptoms. The couple reported that food at the hotel was on occasions served lukewarm and left out for long periods of time, with old food sometimes being topped up with new food. They also said the swimming pool was closed on a number of occasions during their stay and did not appear to be as clean as they would have expected.

Jennifer Mullins, an expert International Personal Injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, representing the newlyweds, said: “Following the concerning first-hand account we have received regarding Aimee and John’s ruined honeymoon, we have started to investigate the issues which both holidaymakers unfortunately endured.

“Aimee and John both faced a terrible ordeal which impacted not only upon their honeymoon, but their personal life too.

“It is concerning to hear that other guests were suffering similar symptoms at the hotel. The seriousness of these issues cannot be underestimated and we are determined to ensure that our clients get the answers they deserve regarding the problems faced on their honeymoon.

“We would like to hear from anyone who was staying at Riu Touareg Hotel at the time who also suffered a similar experience, to get in touch with Irwin Mitchell as they may be able to help with our investigations.”

Aimee, a self-employed designer, recalled: “I began to feel ill a few days into our honeymoon, with John falling ill shortly after and it has just continued ever since then. We were both incredibly weak and unable to enjoy our honeymoon, which we were obviously both really looking forward to.

“It’s a real shame that this happened to us on such a special break, and unfortunately it’s always going to be in the back of our mind when we look back.”

John, a self-employed Conveyor Engineer said: “It was good to finally put a name to the illness, however it doesn’t make up for the issues we faced on our honeymoon.

“Our lives still aren’t back to normal since returning to the UK. Not only do we still have to deal with continuing symptoms, we are also both self-employed meaning that we’ve had to muscle through even though we’re both not completely right.

“You really don’t ever expect something like this to happen to you on your holiday, especially your honeymoon, and it was devastating to see our celebration ruined like this. We want answers as to why this happened.”