BANGED UP ABROAD Royal Navy sailor, 22, jailed in Bahrain after ‘stepping in to break up fight’ & left caged with murderers and rapists
A ROYAL Navy sailor will be jailed with murderers and rapists after being found guilty of stepping in to break up a fight in Bahrain.
Owen Haggerty, 22, has been held in a detention centre in the Middle Eastern country for more than five months after he was arrested there while on duty.
The sailor is now set to be banged up along with other convicts for a three-month sentence after he was convicted of assault.
He was expected to return back to the UK in February after spending four months in the detention centre.
Mum Kirsty Reynolds was left with tears when she got a call from a Royal Navy Officer who told her about the arrest.
She is now “terrified” that her son won’t come out of the prison “alive”.
The mum said: “He’s going to be in with murderers, rapists, all the horrible people. It’s going to be so dangerous.
“I’m terrified he’s not going to come out alive. All I wanted was to welcome him home.”
The mum alleged that authorities did not even give Owen a chance to speak in court before handing in the prison sentence.
She said: “He never even got a chance to speak in court, it was over in a matter of seconds.
“The colour drained from my face as I was told the news.
“When I spoke to Owen, he was in floods of tears.
“He told me he is trying to stay positive and just wants to come back home.
“My whole world has shattered.”
Since his sentencing, Owen’s family has spent over £4,000 hiring her a lawyer – and is working with her local MP, the Home Office and the Royal Navy to get Owen back to the UK.
Owen, who always wanted to travel, joined the Royal Navy in 2021.
He left for his first deployment in Bahrain in October 2024.
A Royal Navy Spokesperson said: “The welfare of our people is a top priority which is why we are continuing to support a member of the Royal Navy detained in Bahrain as well as his family.
“We are working with the British Embassy in Bahrain and in regular contact with Bahrain’s law enforcement authorities.
“Regular visits have been made to the individual by the chain of command, colleagues and consular officials to provide support.”
