Jason in UK for urgent treatment

RAINBOW Beach man Jason Montgomery, shot in the chest in an armed robbery in Guyana a month ago, has been taken off his flight back to Australia for urgent medical attention in London.

Mr Montgomery is being treated in a London hospital for serious chest infections.

Earlier this week his mother, Sandy Brosnan, of Rainbow Beach, who has been fighting Canberra bureaucracy for the last few weeks in an attempt to get her son home, said Mr Montgomery had contracted a lung infection.

Jason Montgomery, 36, was in his local bar in Georgetown in Guyana for after-work drinks on January 8 when three bandits entered and shot him in the chest. The female bar attendant was shot dead at close range and another man was also wounded in the attack.

Mr Montgomery, who had been in Guyana for work purposes, was due to be flown back to Australia for further medical treatment last Thursday but these plans were put on hold when his condition took a turn for the worse.

He has been in hospital in Guyana ever since the shooting and has undergone two operations, the second in a private hospital to correct problems as a result of his first operation.

Sandy Brosnan yesterday said her son was now in a hospital in London and was being treated for pneumonia and a number of infections.

“The air escort evacuation personnel got him on a commercial flight,” she said.

“He was supposed to come through to Australia after a rest in London and arrive tonight (Tuesday), but that won't happen now.

“He has serious infections and they are treating him intravenously and done lots of tests. All his flights have been put on hold until his condition is stable but he's certainly in a far, far better place.”

She said she was relieved to know her son was in London but hoped he could be flown to Brisbane and admitted to a hospital there soon.

“We are just taking one day at a time and that's all we can do.”