BLACKPOOL TODAY (UK) 15 August 06 Killed by a snake

A grandad has died after being bitten by a snake at his Turkish retirement home.

Harold Wilcock, 69, was relaxing at the villa in the popular ex-pat resort of Altinkum when he was attacked by the venomous snake.

Turkish medics were mystified by the cause of the bite to Mr Wilcock's ankle and only treated him with antibiotics.

But his condition deteriorated and he was flown back home to Royal Preston Hospital where he died on August 5.

Today, his distraught family were paying their final respects to the father-of-four at Carleton Crematorium.

Mr Wilcock - formerly of Cunliffe Road, Blackpool – emigrated to Turkey three years ago with his wife Mary.

Daughter, Sharon Wilcock, 36, said: "We thought dad was going to fully recover but the poison had been allowed to stay in his body for too long without proper treatment and it began to attack his vital organs.

"For the first few days they didn't even know it was a snake bite, they thought it might have been deep vein thrombosis.

"But we knew something was wrong. He just seemed to get worse and worse.

"Dad was a very caring man and we cannot believe what has happened. The family cannot come to terms with his death. We are just shattered and heartbroken."

Mr Wilcock – a former Poulton slaughterman - was bitten by the snake in early July.

His leg began to go black as a result of the bite, with relatives saying it looked as if it had been "dipped in tar".

He spent weeks in Aydin Hospital in Turkey – a two hour drive from Altinkum – but was eventually flown home to be treated by UK doctors.

He underwent five operations at Royal Preston Hospital as doctors battled to save him.

But he lost his fight for life and died in his hospital bed last week.

Miss Wilcock, who also lives in Turkey with her two children, aged 16 and 10, said: "I got a call saying dad had been in for one operation, and then another. It seems the poison had just taken over his whole body.

"The doctors in Preston did everything they could, but just could not save him.

"If the medics in Turkey had given him the anti venom, the antidote sooner, maybe they could have saved his life.

"It is just a tragedy. This is a nightmare. It should not have been like this."

Mr Wilcock's death has shocked residents in the close-knit community in Altinkum. Around 2,000 UK ex-pats live there.

Neighbour Keith East said: "I am in a state of shock at the news. My abiding memories of him will be his ready smile and his laid back attitude to life.

"He and Mary had found real happiness in Altinkum. It is just such a tragedy."

Miss Wilcock will return to Turkey following today's funeral to launch a campaign to ensure other people do not suffer the same fate. She wants to make sure all Turkish doctors have stocks of anti-serum.

Mr Wilcock's widow, Mary, will travel back to Turkey with her daughter following the funeral at St Chad's Church in Poulton.
Killed by a snake

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