Aston Villa cop falls ill in Moscow

Feb 18 2009 by Mark Cowan, Birmingham Mail

A BIRMINGHAM bobby had to be rushed into intensive care after falling ill while in Russia scouting out security for Aston Villa’s crunch UEFA Cup game, it emerged today.

PC Scott Hamilton was diagnosed with pancreatitis and peritonitis after emergency exploratory surgery in a hospital in Moscow, where Villa will play next week.

The football intelligence officer was later transferred by air ambulance to a hospital in Germany where it was discovered he had also contracted a strain of hospital superbug MRSA.

It is hoped he will be well enough to return home to Birmingham later this week.

His wife and two teenage children were flown out to the German capital and remain at his bedside.

Det Insp Jon Thursfield, who has been liaising with PC Hamilton and his family, said: “His condition is improving every day which is good considering how ill he was, but he is still very poorly.

“He was in intensive care for a while and for the first few days was critically ill.”

PC Hamilton is based at Queen’s Road police station, in Aston, where he takes