A mum has told how a family holiday in the Caribbean turned into a nightmare after her daughter became the target of unwanted attention from a hotel worker.
The Tulsie family ended up barricading themselves into their room after an incident ruined their dream trip to the Dominican Republic.
Rachel and Stephen Tulsie had gone away on an £11,000 trip with their daughter Leah, 10-year-old son Harvey and youngest child, Amaya.
They had planned to spend the dream trip "making memories" with their son, who has a rare terminal illness.
But Mrs Tulsie said it all went wrong after a man at the hotel allegedly accosted their 15-year-old daughter.
Our sister title North Wales Live reports that the family, from Kinmel Bay, barricaded themselves in their hotel room after making a complaint about the incident.
Mrs Tulsie, 37, explained that Leah had gone back to her room after sunbathing on the beach on January 4.
She said: "When she approached the room she noticed the door was open and two staff members were in there, so she decided to turn around and walk back to the pool.
"Leah says she heard someone shouting and looked back and saw one of the workers was gesturing and calling.
"She started to walk away quickly and he started running behind her, and before she knew it he stood in front of her to block her path and physically stopped her from walking away.
"He was reaching for her phone saying 'WhatsApp, WhatsApp'. Lea was telling him she didn't understand and tried to walk away.
"But the man, who she says was in his 30s, took the phone from her and started pointing at it saying 'Facebook, Facebook', and he opened her app and saw her name and then put his mobile number into her phone.
"He then called himself on her phone and he was saying 'I call ... we meet'. Leah came running back to us very scared."
Leah was then sent a friend request by the hotel worker. Her dad rushed back to the room to confront the man but by this point he had disappeared.
After lodging a complaint, the family were told CCTV had been checked and the worker had been sacked.
They were offered a free spa treatment and asked to sign a waiver form, but they declined, instead wanting to be moved to a new room.
But Mrs Tulsie said: "They refused, and to be honest we felt terrified, and ended up barricading the room with our suitcases.
"Leah slept in her nana's room because she was too scared to be in the room with us, in case the man came back.
"We even looked at trying to get early flights home as we felt so unsafe in the last few days, and until the plane doors closed I could not relax.
"We were all so glad to get back home, where we feel safe."
Birmingham Airport
A TUI spokeswoman said: "We’re very concerned to hear of the Tulsie party’s experience in the Dominican Republic and take claims of this nature very seriously.
"We are investigating this with the hotel and in direct contact with the family to offer our further support and sincere apologies."
The family have since received an apology from Tui, and have been offered £2,500 off their next holiday.
In an email to Mr Tulsie, TUI responded: "I am very sorry to hear about your experience and do hope your daughter is doing well since returning home. I understand how upsetting this experience must have been for her. And I wish to extend my support to her and you all as a family.
"We take this matter very seriously and would like to assure you that we have expressed our concerns to ensure that this feedback is acknowledged and addressed appropriately.
"I can confirm that the individual in question no longer works with the hotel chain and was not a member of TUI staff.
"As he was hired locally by the hotel chain, we do not have any control over this aspect, however our customer's safety and welfare is our utmost concern. Please accept my sincere apologies for any upset caused to you on this occasion."
