British tourist who survives 22ft fall off balcony in Thailand flies home with a quarter of his SKULL in his hand luggage

Lee Charie, 32, fell from balcony on island of Koh Tao in December last year

Doctors were forced to remove quarter of his smashed skull



Lee was transferred back to Britain with missing chunk of his head in a box

Experts plan to use removed skull as mold to design titanium plate



A British tourist who miraculously survived a 22ft fall onto his head from a hotel balcony in Thailand flew home with his skull in his hand luggage .

Lee Charie, 32, smashed the left side of his skull when he fell from the balcony on the island of Koh Tao in December last year.

Hotel staff found Lee unconscious on the ground and he was rushed to a local clinic then a larger hospital on nearby island Koh Samui.

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Lee Charie, 32, from Stanstead Abbotts in Hertfordshire, recovers in hospital after having a quarter of his skull removed which he transported back to the UK in a box

Charie, a swimming pool maintenance worker, fell 22ft from a balcony in Thailand. He was transferred back to Britain two weeks later after doctors handed him the missing chunk of his head in a box



Medics resuscitated the swimming pool maintenance worker after two days without any signs of life.

But they were forced to remove a quarter of Lee's smashed skull to give his brain space to recover.

Lee was transferred back to Britain two weeks later after doctors handed him the missing chunk of his head in a box.

It was then guarded by a Thai doctor who flew with Lee to care for him during the flight.

Lee, an extra for The Only Way Is Essex, has now learned to walk again and is starting to speak again despite the severe injury to his head.

Experts now plan to use the removed chunk of his skull as a mold to design a titanium plate which will cover the gap in his skull.

Speaking from his bed at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, Lee, who still cannot remember the fall, said he 'can't understand' how the accident happened.

He said yesterday: 'I can't remember falling - I don't even know if I fell.

'I remember the skull being removed two weeks ago when my dad turned up.

'My dad came over to Thailand and after two days I remember my head sinking into this dip which was where my skull was missing and I could not believe it.

Lee Charie, an extra for The Only Way is Essex, is pictured on holiday before the accident, left, and with Towie star Lucy Mecklenburgh, right



'It got me in tears thinking about what had happened. They had removed it weeks before. The skull was one of the first things to be taken out because it was all crushed up and just needed to be.

'I was on so many different drugs then I did not realise they had removed it. I was confused and thought I was just on holiday having a good time.

'I only realised a few weeks later when I met my dad that I had this dip. It was a big shock.

'They put my skull in a box which I brought back from Thailand. They have put bits of it back together and I think they are going to make the same size in a different material.

'In a couple of months, when my head has healed a bit more, they are going to try to lift the skin over it and put it in.

'I do not really want to think about it to be honest. Since I have been in hospital I have had about eight injections in each arm that I can remember and I can't stand for it.

'It is horrific to think about them cutting down into my head then drilling with screws and pulling the skin over and lift my ear up. From being dead for two days I came back to life.

Charie and Towie star Joey Essex pictured enjoying the sun before Charie fell off a balcony

'They said they can put my skull back in in about two months and they have said that is really quick and they are really happy about it.'



Lee, from Stansted Abbotts, Hertfordshire, had planned to spend 30 days in Thailand as part of a return trip to the country.

But while staying in the Tommy Resort, in Koh Tao, Lee fell seven metres from a second floor walkway smashing the side of his skull.

He had to have part of his skull removed while in intensive care for a fortnight and his family were told he could be paralysed down his right-hand side.

But luckily Lee was strong enough to be transferred back to Britain on January 18.

He brought the skull fragment back to the UK in a sterile box in hand luggage which was guarded by his doctor.

Charie and Towie star Bobby Norris pose for the camera in a club on a night out

The piece of skull will now being used as a mould to help rebuild and reshape Lee's head.

He hopes to have surgery at Addenbrooke's Hospital to replace his missing skull bone with titanium in April.

It is still unknown whether Lee slipped off the hotel balcony or was pushed.

Lee's father Peter, 48, who flew out to Thailand on December 31 to accompany Lee on the journey to Addenbrooke's Hospital, said: 'The details of what actually happened are all very vague.

'When he arrived at the hospital in Koh Samui, he was fading in and out of consciousness and more or less died.

'The surgeon examined him and there was no sign of brain activity. They shined a light in his eyes and there was no response.

'As a last effort, they injected some form of drug into him and he coughed. On that basis they decided to try to save him.

'He's going through a traumatic time but he could have not been with us any more.

'In one respect I'd like to know what happened, but if it was something nasty I don't want to know. I want to concentrate on him getting better.'



Recovery: Lee has now learned how to walk again and is starting to speak again despite the injury

Lee with his mother, Natalie Charie, 61, right, and sister, Kirsty Charie, 30, left. Lee's mother said the family believe they will never know how the incident happened

Lee's mother Natalie Charie, 61, said the family believe they will never know how the accident happened.

She said: 'I could not believe the recovery in Lee. He is getting better and better every day.

'I do not think we will ever know how it happened. Lee was travelling on his own and we are not aware that anyone saw him fall.

'He was found by passers-by lying on the floor. We feel that if it was foul play then we would rather not know.

'It was quite a shock to see him, I am looking forward to him having the operation to get him back to normal.'



Lee added: 'It does upset me when I look at my head. It has brought a lot of things to life - feelings I have about people and the way I want to carry on now.

'I am looking forward to getting out and be able to thank everyone who has been there for me.'