'Red tape' is hampering search for Southsea man in Turkey, his family has warned

THE search for a Southsea man who has gone missing in Turkey has been hampered by ‘red tape' his family have warned.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

David Cann, 56, of Cromwell Road, had been on a week-long break in Hisaronu when he went missing last Tuesday.

His family, including his sister Sandra and nephew Gavin Thomas have travelled over to Turkey as large-scale search efforts continue in the west of the country.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

However Dave’s family have criticised the ‘red tape’ which has prevented GPS searches on his phone as well as his bank cards.

David Cann, who has gone missing in Turkey. David Cann, who has gone missing in Turkey.
David Cann, who has gone missing in Turkey.

Mr Thomas explained: ‘His phone was still on, it was still ringing, until two days ago, they could have tracked the GPS on it. Now it has died, it is not ringing.

‘The situation with Interpol and those on the Turkish side is so frustrating. The way it is supposed to work is the Turkish Police should be informing Interpol, who would contact the British authorities. It is all red tape.

‘That is what is making it very frustrating.

‘If someone is missing and you have the technology you should be using it straight away.

David Cann, from Southsea, who has gone missing in Turkey.David Cann, from Southsea, who has gone missing in Turkey.
David Cann, from Southsea, who has gone missing in Turkey.
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘We don't know if his cards have been used. If the area you are searching is so vast and you can narrow it down with GPS, why don't you use it? 'This is the most frustrating part.'

Read More
Urgent appeal to find Southsea man who has gone missing in Turkey

Searches for Dave in the Hisaronu area are continuing; however his family are preparing for ‘bad news’.

Mr Thomas said: ‘We are setting ourselves up for bad news now, you have to.

If you have been in Turkey recently have you seen David?If you have been in Turkey recently have you seen David?
If you have been in Turkey recently have you seen David?

‘I have just had an update there's quite a few teams out there searching today. AFAD is one of the agencies, they do a lot of rescue stuff not just in Turkey also in Afghanistan, they are a NGO.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘This is a big search effort, it is such a vast area and it's hard to narrow down.

‘He came on his own, he often travels on his own or with a friend. He was on his own when he got lost. Dave had been to the area a few times before.’

Dave, who drinks at the Milton Arms pub, last contacted his sister on Tuesday, June 23, before he flew to Turkey on June 26.

Mr Thomas added: ‘We found out that he was missing on Thursday, when mum received a call from the rep at the hotel he was staying at.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

'Dave hadn't turned up for his flight and they checked his room and all his stuff was still there.’

The last siting of Dave had been at his hotel in Hisaronu however it is believed that he may have been spotted at a currency exchange later on Tuesday.

‘He told the people at the hotel he was going to a place called Kayakoy, which is a ghost town that is a bit of a tourist trap, then he was going to continue to Olu Deniz,’ Mr Thomas said.

‘Today we went to a local currency exchange place and they think they saw him on the Tuesday, which would be the last sighting of him. They are going to check the CCTV cameras.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘It would give us a clue as to which direction he was going in.’

Any British tourists who are in Olu Deniz or the nearby Fethiye are asked to keep their eyes out for Dave.

He is 5ft 8in and of a slim to medium build. He has short, receding grey hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing shorts, a dark coloured T-shirt and walking sandals, with a rucksack and a 500ml drinking bottle attached to the bag.

Anyone with information about Dave's whereabouts can contact Gavin on +44 7476 468646 or by emailing [email protected].

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

You can also contact the Lucie Blackman Trust on 0800 098 8485 if you are based in the UK or if you are overseas you can call +44800 098 8485.

You can also get in touch by emailing any information to [email protected].

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.