A man who saw his honeymoon ruined when he contracted a potentially fatal illness, has now been awarded with nearly £300,000 compensation from a holiday company. The 50-year-old man, Julian Hurley, made a claim against tour operator First Choice after he was diagnosed with a form of dysentery called shigella.

Julian came down with shigella after eating poor standard food at an all inclusive hotel in Venezuela back in August of 2004. After his return to the UK, Julian was admitted to a hospital for five days and still suffers from bad health almost five years later. Julian apparently was rewarded with £286,500 after First Choice admitted liability for the man’s illness.

Julian, and his wife Jayne, had booked the package holiday with First Choice Holiday and Flights Limited to the Costa Caribe hotel in Margarita. The trip was suppose to be a grand honeymoon for the two new lovers. The couple went on to say that Julian became very ill after eating undercooked food at the resort, but he was not able to seek medical advice.

After his return he was admitted to Doncaster royal infirmary and was treated with antibiotics and intravenous drugs. Although this problem happened many years ago, Julian is still reported to suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome, post traumatic stress, and irritable bowel syndrome.

A First Choice spokesperson said that they were very concerned to hear about Mr Hurley’s illness. The spokesperson went on to add that, since the incident, First Choice has ceased to operate to the destination of Margarita. They would also like to reassure their customers that health and safety is very important to them.