British tourist ‘beaten with metal pole’ after refusing to pay hostel extra

WHEN Laura Denmar was told she had to cough up more at her hostel, she said no. The decision landed her in the emergency room.

A BRITISH tourist says she was bashed with a metal pole after she refused demands to pay extra for her hostel in a Croatian holiday town.

Laura Denmar, 26, an actor and musician from Cambridge, UK, was holidaying in Split with her boyfriend.

She said the hostel owner allegedly pinned her boyfriend against a wall and a cleaner beat Ms Denmar so badly she ended up with a fractured hand and a cut on her head.

Ms Denmar claimed the hostel staff turned on them after the couple refused to submit to “illegal” demands for more money at the end of their stay.

British tourist Laura Denmar said staff at a hostel in Split, Croatia beat her with a metal pole.

The MailOnline reported the couple travelled to Croatia last month and booked a hostel for about $105 a night in popular Split through a major booking website, which has not been named.

But when they showed up in Split, they discovered the accommodation — which ended up being in a “grimy” part of town — was not at all what they expected.

“When we arrived we realised that it was not legitimate at all — there were 30 beds and only one bathroom and no one there running anything,” Ms Denmar said.

Ms Denmar, from Cambridge, UK, is a student at London’s Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

“We had nowhere else to stay and we had already paid so we decided to make do.”

Ms Denmar said the violent incident erupted on their last day, when a cleaner came into their room early and said they either had to pay more money or get out immediately.

“I told her that was unreasonable and refused to hand over any money and so she told us she would call the police if we did not leave,” she said.

The tourist was holidaying in Split with her boyfriend.

“I knew what they were doing was illegal so I told her to go on and call the police. Instead she called a man who we think was the owner.

“We decided to get out of there as soon as possible, but she locked the doors so we could not leave until the man arrived.

“When he did, he slammed (my boyfriend) into a wall with another guy and the woman started beating me with a metal pole. It was awful.”

She said the beating left her with a fractured hand, a cut to the head and bruising on her arms and body.

Ms Denmar was taken to hospital with a fractured hand, bruises on her arms and body, and a cut on her head that needed stitches.

She said she had been in contact with Croatian police, the British Embassy and the website through which she booked the hostel.

Police in Split said they were investigating an assault, the MailOnline reported.

“What happened to us was awful and I would hate for it to happen to anyone else,” Ms Denmar said.

“I just want people to know what happened to me so it never happens again.”