Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Lucy Skoulding

Son who fled 10-day hotel quarantine to be with dying dad WON'T face £10,000 fine

A son who left hotel quarantine to be with his dying father in his final hours will not face a £10,000 fine.

Bob Fiddaman flew to Birmingham Airport from his home in Panama on September 30 after his sister told him his dad, 86, who was seriously ill "was not going to pull through".

The dad-of-three went into hotel quarantine in Solihul for 10 days, but was pleading with security staff to let him leave so he could go to his dad, reports Birmingham Live.

He was told it could take hours to get permission to leave, so he walked out of the hotel and went to Alcester to be with his father, who died the next day.

'My father was dying and I wanted to say my goodbye' (Bob Fiddaman)

When he returned to the hotel, he was visited by officers from West Midlands Police. But they told him he would not face a fine or any further action.

Mr Fiddaman, 56, who is currently sat alone in his hotel room, said: "Any person in my position would have done exactly the same.

"I was fed up hearing the word 'but'...there should be not buts.

"My father was dying and I wanted to say my goodbye. I'm a human being, I need to be with my family and that's not happening."

Mr Fiddman's ordeal began when he was called by his sister around September 27 and was told that his father, Douglas, from Alcester, who had prostrate cancer two years ago, was seriously ill and unlikely to 'pull through'

He immediately took a PCR test, organised a flight from Panama to Birmingham Airport and booked a quarantine hotel, paying £2,270.

When he arrived on September 30, he was taken to St John's Hotel in Solihull, where he asked security if he could see his father.

He said he provided evidence including a letter from his father's South Warwickshire hospital detailing his ailments which included failed kidneys, a heart attack, suspected blood clots as well as his prostate cancer.

Mr Fiddaman was then told to provide further evidence which he did, but then says he was told a decision to let him leave could take up to four hours.

He said he was also told that, in any case, he would only be allowed out for four hours which prompted him to ask 'Are you expecting me to guess when my father would die?'"

He said: "I asked my son to come pick me up. It was around 9.30pm. I said to security, 'I'm leaving, you do what you have to do, I have to do what a son has to do.

"We drove to Alcester and stayed with my dad until he died at 12.05pm on October 1.

"I stayed around for two hours with my sisters and family and came back to the hotel. I was told I couldn't go back to my room and did a PCR test which came back negative. I was then allowed back into my room."

Later the same day, he was then visited by two police officers .

"They were really nice and showed compassion," he said, "they said 'OK, we are not going to fine you. I did say that I wanted to see my father in the Chapel of Rest and they said they would help me with that."

Mr Fiddaman is now alone in his room seeing out the rest of his quarantine period until around October 10.

He said: "There's nothing to do apart from watch TV, keep in touch with people on WhatsApp and go outside for a cigarette.

"I want to be with my family at this time of grief."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.