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Thai Court Blocks British Tycoon’s Children From Funeral

Two children of late ASOS co-founder Quentin Griffiths will not attend his funeral in England after a Thai court blocked plans for them to travel abroad amid an ongoing custody dispute.

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Griffiths, 58, died in February after falling from a 17th-floor balcony in Thailand. The businessman had been involved in a legal dispute with his second wife, Ploy Kringsinthanakun, 43, over custody of their two children, aged 12 and 13, following their divorce.

Adult children from Griffiths’ first marriage had sought permission to take the pair to Britain for the funeral. Quentin’s son Joel, 29, told the court he would return the children to Thailand after the service.

However, a Thai judge ruled against the request, stating that Joel could not provide written details of the funeral arrangements. The court also expressed concern about allowing the children to leave Thailand without their mother’s consent while custody proceedings remain unresolved.

Ploy’s lawyer, Mona Mankong, said the court believed international travel could complicate enforcement of future rulings. She said: “The court stated that allowing the children to travel abroad without the mother’s consent, and outside the jurisdiction of the Thai courts, could create serious complications in enforcing future court orders.

“For that reason, the court found it inappropriate to permit the children to travel to England, even for their father’s funeral.”

Mankong added that her client was relieved by the outcome. She said: “She believes that if the children had been allowed to leave the country, she might never have had the chance to see them again.”

The case follows a series of legal and financial disputes linked to Griffiths before his death. The ASOS co-founder had been facing possible jail time in Thailand after allegedly fraudulently removing Ploy as a director from a company they created to purchase their marital home.

Last month, it was also reported by The Sun, that nearly $4 million in cryptocurrency disappeared from Griffiths’ online wallet in the days following his death. Joel’s family declined to comment on the latest court ruling.

The custody dispute is expected to continue in the Thai courts. No further details have been released regarding funeral arrangements or any future legal applications involving the children.

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Picture courtesy of The Sun

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image.png Adapted by ASEAN Now TheSun 30 May 2026

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geisha Platinum Member

geisha

Advanced Member
8 hours ago, kingstonkid said:

It may be but the outcome as I have stated was the correct one. We have all heard of kids tht were sent on legal visitation that disappeared or were not sent back. Once things are settled and I think it will take a while, then part of the settlement could be that the estate provides the mom and kids the money to go to his gravesite.

The mother will not need the estate to provide money !!! She’s more than likely got quite a few million $ of her own now. She’ll have lawyers and her family helping her.

Aussie999 Platinum Member

Aussie999

Advanced Member
6 hours ago, kingstonkid said:

The court does not need proof that it will happen they in this case need legal proof that it will not happen. Also remember that children must be accompanied by either mom or dad and int hecase of a divorce Mom must agree. The Thai coulrt simply is saying we think there is a good chance that the UK family will try to ge them to stay and will add this to the estate divorce proceedings

LL

Simple Thai officials in the UK have about the same power to make things happen there as the UK Embassy here does

You did not understand my comment, try reading it again, this time slowly, and in context to what I commented on.

scorecard Star Member

scorecard

Advanced Member
18 hours ago, scorecard said:

And if the Thai court sent Thai oficials to accompany the children the UK courts would have no power to make any form of order (in regard to the 2 Thai officials) in regard to their movements / activiies / authority over the children whilst in the UK.

And in the UK, if the UK resident members of the farang;s family said 'children cannot leave the uk, the Thai officials would have no authority to phyiscally remove the children and bring them back to Thailand.

Off Piste Silver Member

Off Piste

Advanced Member

On 5/30/2026 at 5:35 AM, Georgealbert said:

image.png

Look beyond the fake smile, this woman is a wrongun......the eyes, the look, the masquerade.

BritManToo Star Member

BritManToo

Advanced Member
19 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

How does his probable suicide detract from Pattaya being a safe family location?

Nobody believes it was a suicide!

Surasak Gold Member

Surasak

Advanced Member
20 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Not if it gives rise to suspicion that not providing that very straightforward information might be deliberately obstructing the case.

Fair comment, Lou. I didn't think that far ahead!

ronnie50 Platinum Member

ronnie50

Advanced Member

Well, his wife would be sole living direct guardian as these were her kids, and that gave her the power to block them going to UK without her (I assume the kids had UK passports but their mother did not and would need a visa and not enough time to get one). Seems to me the UK relatives had many (even financial personal) reasons to take the kids to UK for the funeral - and potentially not return them to Thailand and their mother. A custody dispute is a moot point with their father's death.

Too many oddities in this story, like the fact the British adult son (half brother) didn't know the details about the funeral. I think the judge's order was sensibile, though pitiful for the young Thai-British kids.

Liverpool Lou Star Member

Liverpool Lou

Advanced Member
6 hours ago, BritManToo said:
ou said:

How does his probable suicide detract from Pattaya being a safe family location?

Nobody believes it was a suicide

Really? Where's that been reported?

Liverpool Lou Star Member

Liverpool Lou

Advanced Member
6 hours ago, scorecard said:
On 5/30/2026 at 12:35 PM, scorecard said:

And if the Thai court sent Thai oficials to accompany the children the UK courts would have no power to make any form of order (in regard to the 2 Thai officials) in regard to their movements / activiies / authority over the children whilst in the UK.

And in the UK, if the UK resident members of the farang;s family said 'children cannot leave the uk, the Thai officials would have no authority to phyiscally remove the children and bring them back to Thailand

There are no Thai officials that have authority over the children (without a court order).

Liverpool Lou Star Member

Liverpool Lou

Advanced Member
6 hours ago, Off Piste said:

Look beyond the fake smile, this woman is a wrongun......the eyes, the look, the masquerade.

....the ridiculous, unfounded speculation.

Liverpool Lou Star Member

Liverpool Lou

Advanced Member
7 hours ago, BritManToo said:
On 5/30/2026 at 11:09 AM, Liverpool Lou said:

How does his probable suicide detract from Pattaya being a safe family location?

Nobody believes it was a suicide

Really? Where was that reported?

What was reported was that he had been alone in the condo in which he lived alone, that it was locked from the inside and that CCTV showed that no one else entered the room.

BritManToo Star Member

BritManToo

Advanced Member
13 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Really? Where was that reported?

What was reported was that he had been alone in the condo in which he lived alone, that it was locked from the inside and that CCTV showed that no one else entered the room.

Nothing in Pattaya is trustworthy.

Sir Dude Gold Member

Sir Dude

Advanced Member

People like this guy in his sort of position don't just "fall" from the top of a building or die from "accidents" in such convenient circumstances for some others. He was wealthy and successful, plus it would be easy for him to move on from his ex... all smells of those stories you hear about in Russia etc. where some business guy that said the wrong thing at some point having a "boating accident" etc. The smell of manure over this case is strong.

As for the Thai court and judge... there was no way the outcome could have been any different and was decided before anyone did anything, so predictable. They clearly want this case to go away but are simply going through the motions to make it look slightly credible.

Liverpool Lou Star Member

Liverpool Lou

Advanced Member
1 hour ago, BritManToo said:
1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Really? Where was that reported?

Nothing in Pattaya is trustworthy

Are you in the Pattaya area?

Liverpool Lou Star Member

Liverpool Lou

Advanced Member
On 5/30/2026 at 11:21 AM, Legal Lifeline said:

Another sad twist in what is clearly a bitter fight- and no doubt the root cause is who gets what from the deceased mans estate

You are overlooking the fraud and forgery for which he was convicted and jailed, do you not think that could be the root cause?

kingstonkid Ruby Member

kingstonkid

Advanced Member
On 5/30/2026 at 6:25 PM, Aussie999 said:

You did not understand my comment, try reading it again, this time slowly, and in context to what I commented on.

still do not see anything against my previous.

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