Croydon woman, 20, died after Turkey surgery and emergency plane landing

An inquest into the death of Morgan Ribeiro has been concluded

The father of a young woman who died after undergoing weight-loss surgery in Turkey has paid a moving tribute to his daughter after an inquest concluded she died from complications linked to the procedure.

Richard Ribeiro described his daughter Morgan Ribeiro, 20, as “a very passionate person” who “cared” as he spoke moments after the hearing reached its conclusion.

Ms Ribeiro, who worked at a nursery supporting disabled children, travelled from her home in Croydon, south London, to Istanbul on January 5, 2024, for gastric sleeve surgery. She was discharged three days later and cleared to return to Britain, The Mirror reports.

However, her condition deteriorated dramatically during the flight home to Gatwick Airport, forcing an emergency landing in Belgrade, Serbia. She was admitted to intensive care but died five days later, on January 13.

South London Coroner’s Court was informed by Assistant Coroner Laura Stephenson that several unsuccessful attempts had been made to contact Morgan’s surgeon, Dr Serkan Bayil.

“It has not been possible to establish contact with the clinic or surgeon who performed it”, she said, adding “I have [therefore] relied on the post-mortem conducted in Serbia, information from the Serbian police..and information from Morgan’s partner about her travel.”

Morgan underwent emergency surgery in Serbia, where medics discovered her intestinal wall had ruptured, the court was told. Ms Stephenson concluded her medical cause of death was peritonitis caused by the rupture, which likely happened as a result of the gastric sleeve surgery.

Medical notes from the private hospital in Istanbul, where Morgan was treated, describe that she was deemed stable and fit for discharge. However, her partner Jamie Brewster told the court she was suffering from abdominal pain and a fever, which worsened when they boarded the London-bound flight.

Sitting beside a friend at Friday’s inquest (September 4), emotional dad Richard said: “Morgan was working in a nursery for disabled children, looking after children with special needs. She was a very passionate person. She cared.”

Ensure our latest stories always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings.

Morgan’s mum, Erin Gibson, previously spoke to the Mirror emphasising her need for justice. She said: “It’s wrong, it shouldn’t be happening. My daughter had her whole life ahead of her. It’s hard to adjust. Grief-stricken is an understatement.”

After years of suffering bullying due to her weight, Morgan decided to undertake weight loss surgery. A gastric band operation in the UK costs between £8,000 and £10,000, and Morgan paid £2,500 for the surgery in Turkey, it was previously said.

In 2024, The Mirror confronted surgeon Dr Bayil in Istanbul. He denied botching it, saying Morgan suffered an embolism and insisted he did nothing wrong.