An Irish tourist who reported Italy’s 999 service for not speaking English when he called it as his girlfriend was dying has been accused of lying by officials.

Holidaymaker Michael Douglas had been touring Italy in a camper van when his girlfriend, Jenna Gommlet, 24, collapsed while they were parked on a beach.

Distraught Douglas, 34, claims the mangled English used by the emergency services caused delays and meant an ambulance took nearly 45 minutes to reach the couple.

German-born Jenna was later declared dead in hospital.

Now Italy’s 999 service has released an audio recording of the initial call apparently showing its operator talking to Douglas in perfect English.

In the recording, frantic Douglas can be heard telling the operator his girlfriend had stopped breathing but he had revived her with the kiss of life.

The operator can be heard responding in accurate English before passing the details to the Italian ambulance service.

Douglas had dialled the emergency services from the couple’s Ford Transit from the seafront Viale di Focene (Focene Boulevard), in Fiumicino, near Rome, on 20th January.

The Italian emergency service says it reached stricken Jenna in just 18 minutes.

And while Douglas claims the call lasted 10 minutes and 40 seconds, officials say it was just over two minutes.

Douglas reportedly called the Italian emergency service number 118, and the emergency service has since released audio of the conversation.

But Douglas reportedly claims that the audio has been cut short, while the Italian authorities insist it has not.

La Repubblica newspaper quoted Douglas as saying that the Italian emergency services did not speak English.

Now he is reportedly being investigated after emergency officials released what they say is the full audio of the exchange.

He also allegedly moved the van following the initial call before calling again.

The emergency services slammed local media on Monday for reporting that they do not speak English, with the Department of Health of the Lazio Region rejecting the Irishman’s allegations and releasing a statement, relayed by Italian media, reportedly reading: “With reference to the article published by the Rome section of La Repubblica, we would like to specify that the emergency call on 20th January 2022 at 3.39pm was immediately handled correctly in English and the intervention was geolocated with the coordinates of latitude and longitude.

“The phone call lasted about two minutes and the audio content, granted by the Operations Centre of the single emergency number, is fully enclosed for transparency.”

It added: “A clinical audit was ordered by the Regional Health Directorate on all rescue management, which has always had uninterrupted support in English. As soon as the audit is completed, it will be announced.”

It also said: “Currently the single emergency number service has translation into 16 languages, including Ukrainian. Our deep condolences go to the family members of the unfortunately deceased young woman.”

It also said that the ambulance arrived on the scene 18 minutes after the call, saying: “From the records in our possession, it appears that 18 minutes elapsed from the end of the call to the arrival of the ambulance and medics at the scene.”

The emergency services said: “The vehicles were correctly sent to where the caller had reported being, but, upon arriving on the scene, the health teams did not find anyone, since the man had autonomously decided to move.”

They added that the medical staff then had to request the help of the carabinieri to track down the camper.

This apparently contradicts Douglas’ version of events, as he says it was he who found them.

Douglas reportedly told La Repubblica that he had had difficulty communicating with 118. He is quoted as saying in Italian media: “They immediately put me on hold so they could find an operator who could speak English. Then, at all times struggling to communicate, I was told to keep the GPS on so that the ambulance could find us.”

The 34-year-old also reportedly explained that the ambulance arrived late and that it was he who tracked the rescuers down nearby, not the other way around. The Lazio Region has since started an audit to verify his claims.

Douglas reportedly placed what he said was a first call to the emergency services at 3.39pm. He also reportedly claimed the exchange lasted 10 minutes and 40 seconds. He was told to keep the location information on his phone turned on so the ambulance could find the camper.

When no one allegedly came after 10 minutes, he reportedly decided to call again, at 4.10pm. At the same time, he allegedly started the Ford Transit the couple had been travelling in and drove it a few blocks down.

The rescue service allegedly found the camper van 15 minutes later and took the young woman to the G. B. Grassi Hospital, in Ostia. Shortly thereafter, Douglas was met by four carabinieri, who informed him that his girlfriend was dead.

Douglas was reportedly questioned by the carabinieri for six hours at the police station, and he reportedly told them that his partner “bent down to get something from the fridge and just said ‘I’m going to pass out’.”

The Irishman also reportedly said of the police, who also reportedly heard a doctor and a nurse from 118: “They questioned me for six hours using Google Translate.”

The young woman’s body has reportedly remained at the morgue since the day of her death, and her family has not been able to claim her body.

The family has reportedly not yet been given a cause of death either, despite the autopsy having been performed on 26th January.

Her body was also allegedly not taken to the morgue until 10.30pm on the day of her death, for reasons that remain unclear.

The family’s lawyer, Manuele Piccioni, reportedly said: “I met Douglas only once in my office, where he presented himself with the girl’s relatives. He wanted to know how to retrieve the young woman’s personal effects left in the camper.”

The lawyer reportedly remained cautious about the delays in releasing the young woman’s body to her parents, saying: “The prosecutor gave the authorisation on 15th February, then there was an error in the transcription of the girl’s surname at the Municipality of Fiumicino, which delayed the procedure, but the investigator has nothing to do with it. The family is upset and is still waiting to find out what happened to Jenna today.”

The case is reportedly being handled by the public prosecutor’s office of Civitavecchia, which has reportedly initiated proceedings for incitement to commit suicide.

It is currently unclear if Douglas is being considered as a suspect in the case.