A YORK teenager says he was subjected to a terrifying ordeal by the owner of a hired quad bike after he had crashed it into a tree on a Greek island.

Sam Richardson claims he was chased, beaten and threatened with murder unless he handed over 5,000 Euros for repairs to the damaged bike, which he had hired for a day to travel round the island but without taking out insurance.

“I was scared for my life,” said Sam, 19, from Dunnington, who was on holiday on the island with friends when he braked, skidded and crashed into the tree, causing damage to the chassis and bruising and damaging leg ligaments.

“He was a big man and he was threatening me with a big metal bar. He said they would kill me and dump my body in the sea, and no one would ever find me.

“He had already punched me in the face, causing a black eye.”

The former Fulford School pupil, who is now an apprentice with a York firm, said he texted his parents to tell them what was happening and seek their help, but was then ordered not to contact them for an hour - during which time they frantically called police and the British Consulate to seek help.

Sam’s mother Amanda said: “For an hour we lost all contact with him and I thought they had killed him.

“Please advise young people to go with firms they trust, read the small print,have adequate insurance, and even better, avoid quad bikes.”

Sam said that, after his mother had called Greek police, an officer had come to the business’s offices where he was being threatened, but left without taking any action.

He said that eventually, he managed to get £4,200 together - his entire savings - using his Revolut travel card, and paid this to the businessman.

He then made his way as quickly as possible to the airport to get a flight home, leaving his driving licence with the businessman and some clothing back at his hotel.

Sam said he accepted he needed to pay some money to the owner for repairs to the quad bike, but had seen online that a good quality second hand one could be bought for 2,500 Euros and believed 5000 Euros was extortionate.

He said he was now trying to get some of the money back and said Revolut had said this was possible, but he would first need a crime reference number from Greek police.

However, every time he had tried to call the police station on the island to lodge a complaint, the phone had been put down on him.

The Press has asked the Greek Embassy for a comment but it hadn’t spoken by the time we went to press.

While unable to comment on Sam’s experiences, ABTA (The Association of British Travel Agents) said it advised holidaymakers only to ride quad bikes as part of an organised excursion.

“It’s important that holidaymakers are aware of the limitations and exclusions of standard travel insurance policies – many of which will not cover accidents from quad bikes and mopeds, leaving seriously injured holidaymakers facing unaffordable medical bills,” it said.

“Check your insurance – you may not be covered to hire a quad bike.While quad bikes may be fun to drive, they are also powerful pieces of machinery that can be extremely dangerous.”