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15:31 GMT, Monday, 17 November 2008

Wife plea to PM over missing man

Mr Hoyland's wife and children. Picture from Lewis Whyld PA

The wife of a British sea scooter rider who went missing in Indonesia has asked Prime Minister Gordon Brown for help.

Jeremy Hoyland, 41, from Penistone in South Yorkshire, travelled to Bali as a race official in the Asian Beach Games but has not been seen since 24 October.

His wife Jacqui, 44, flew back from Bali and in a news conference condemned the assistance offered to her family by the British Government.

She also released the letter she wrote to Gordon Brown asking him to help.

Mrs Hoyland wrote: "Jeremy is the father of our two girls, Ellena, 13, and Georgia, 11. Both have been working hard to raise money to help finance a search.

"They are beside themselves with worry, as is the entire family."

Mrs Hoyland said she had received no reply from Mr Brown and had had hardly any contact with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office since her husband went missing.

A Downing Street spokesman confirmed the letter had been received and said a reply would be sent.

A Foreign Office response is not yet available.

'Mistaken body'

The father of two and international sea scooter master has not been seen since going out on a water bike ride with friends to Nusa Lembongan islet.

He sent a text message from his mobile phone about five hours after his friends returned to say he was about two miles from the beach and needed help.

His wife said: "I am sure if Jeremy was somebody of any importance, we would not be sat here today. He would have been found by now."

Jeremy Hoyland

She also said she was telephoned by a government official to say her husband's body had been found, only to receive another call three hours later stating this was a mistake.

Family friend and sea scooter instructor Jonathan Oddy, 37, from Doncaster, criticised Mr Hoyland's mobile phone provider, Vodafone, for not supplying data which could show where he made his last call from.

He said: "Without the information from Vodafone, it's a bit like throwing a dart at a map blindfolded."

A Vodafone spokesperson said: "Information about calls made abroad are not supplied to UK networks.

"However, we are particularly sympathetic towards the situation and are doing everything we can to put the Hoylands in touch with the Indonesian network."

There is a $10,000 (£6,380) reward for Mr Hoyland's safe return.




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Related to this story:
Family's hope for missing Briton (11 Nov 08 |  South Yorkshire )
Briton still missing in Indonesia (02 Nov 08 |  Asia-Pacific )
Family search for missing UK man (28 Oct 08 |  Asia-Pacific )
Search continues for lost Briton (26 Oct 08 |  Asia-Pacific )
British man missing in Indonesia (25 Oct 08 |  Asia-Pacific )
Country profile: Indonesia (07 Aug 08 |  Country profiles )

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Jeremy Hoyland Rescue
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Asian Beach Games 2008
International Jet Sports Boating Association
Jet Sport Racing Association
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