A mum fears her son may never return to the UK after he was arrested in a foreign country.
Kirsty Reynolds’ heart sank when she got a call from a Royal Navy Officer who said that her son, Owen Haggerty, 22, had been arrested while deployed.
The 41-year-old had been expecting him to return to UK soil on 15 February after spending four months in Bahrain.
Until yesterday (19 March), Owen was being held in a detention centre.
READ MORE: Six masked men steal 34 bottles of booze from off licence in lightning-quick 40 second raid
His older brother, Jack, 30, had flown over to Bahrain to bring him home.
During the hearing, he was handed a three-month sentence for assault after breaking up a fight between a couple.
Kirsty is “terrified” he “won’t come out alive”.
Since his sentencing, the 41-year-old has spent over £4,000 hiring her own lawyer and is working with her local MP, the Home Office and the Royal Navy to get Owen back to the UK.
“He’s going to be in with murderers, rapists, all the horrible people,” the salon owner, from Glasgow, told Need To Know.
“It’s going to be so dangerous.
“I’m terrified he’s not going to come out alive.
“He’s such a positive and happy person with not a bad bone in his body.
“All I wanted was to welcome him home.
“Now, I don’t know if I ever will.
“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: ‘I’m trying to stay positive, but I just want to come home.’
“My whole world has shattered.”
Owen, who always wanted to travel, joined the Royal Navy in 2021.
He left for his first deployment in Bahrain in October 2024.
Kirsty, who was concerned about his safety, was pleasantly surprised when he appeared to be having “the time of his life”.
She added: “I haven’t slept a wink.
“It’s absolutely draining.
“I can’t process it; it’s so surreal.
“He never even got a chance to speak in court, it was over in a matter of seconds.
“He mentally can’t do any more time over there, especially in prison.
“His brother said he’s just a shell of himself – how much more is he going to be able to take?
“Nobody ever expected it to go this far.
“He’s just a boy.”
READ MORE: Street fight leads to hit-and-run crash on upmarket street
