English barrister lucky to be alive after allegedly being bitten by rare spider on Qatar Airways flight

A London barrister claims doctors told him he could have died after being bitten by a poisonous brown recluse spider while travelling on a plane from Qatar to South Africa.

Jonathon Hogg, 40, said his leg was "bursting open" by the time he reached hospital, and he is now considering taking legal action against Qatar Airways.

“The pain was like nothing I’ve been through in my life. By the time I got to hospital my leg was bursting open, there was pus, it was black," Mr Hogg told The Guardian.

Mr Hogg was hospitalised for a month in South Africa, after doctors cut out a large part of his leg where the venom had eaten away the flesh.

He underwent three operations and a skin graft while being treated at the hospital, and is still receiving on-going medical treatment three months later.

According to Mr Hogg, Qatar Airways have not taken any responsibility for the incident.

However, Qatar Airways told The Guardian they were not aware of any legal action being launched over the incident.

"The only known interaction between the airline and Mr Hogg regarding this incident, which he claims happened on a Qatar Airways aircraft in June, was via our website a week after his travel was complete. No report was filed with any staff on board regarding this incident," an airline spokesperson said.