British man mugged at gunpoint and left for dead on first day of birthday trip with wife to Thailand

[ScotBkk]

3 minutes ago, stevenl said:

And you accuse others of doing psychoanalysis.

You always get one. Where may I ask did I refer to others mate ???

[sanemax]

2 minutes ago, stevenl said:

And you accuse others of doing psychoanalysis.

The guy whom he was replying too has been quite reasonable , and he has been the one making making pointless posts, trying to antagonise others .

   Hes still at it

[billd766]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Brit Army veteran, 50, viciously attacked at gunpoint in Phuket

The Phuket News

 

Mik Laverty from Newton Aycliffe, Durham, northeast England, suffered multiple leg fractures in the attack. Photo: Donna Spensley / Crowdfunder

 

PHUKET: A couple from the United Kingdom have launched a fundraising campaign to pay for hospital bills after the man, an Army veteran, suffered multiple leg fractures in a vicious mugging in Phuket last Thursday (Nov 2).

 

The couple, Mik and Denise Laverty from Newton Aycliffe, Durham, in the northeast of England, had landed on the island on holiday to celebrate man’s 50th birthday on hours before the horrific attack.

 

Mr Laverty was attacked by two young men who put a gun in his face and demanded money, reports The Northern Echo.

 

Full story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/brit-army-veteran-50-viciously-attacked-at-gunpoint-in-phuket-64593.php

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2017-11-07

 

 

The last line from the Phuket post.

 

"The Phuket News as of this evening was unable to confirm details of the attack with the Phuket Tourist Police."
 

[Peterw42]

10 minutes ago, Kerryd said:

There have been a few stories like this that I wish the local media would jump all over. I remember contacting one outlet awhile ago (last January) about an incident (also in the "Phuket region") as the story being told was rather fishy (about the gay Irish couple that claimed they'd been drugged "at a bar" and when they woke up figured they'd been raped but waited for 5 days before going to a hospital). They claimed their insurance company refused to pay out as well but they never reported the incident until they were back home, and then only to a small (online) Irish media site (and was copy/pasted to other click-bait sites afterwards). I even tried to contact the  Insurer and the media site in Ireland. No response from any of them.

Yes I recall that story, from memory it turned out to be an insurance thing. The guys had consenting unsafe sex then sought expensive "morning after" HIV prevention treatment, then found out it wasnt covered by insurance, got home and made up a story so they could claim.

[tropo]

37 minutes ago, Get Real said:

No, concern at all. You must always have a buffer if something happens.
If the insurance is valid, why would they need to investigate?

Lucky you don't run an insurance company. Of course, they need to investigate and the reason should be obvious.

[sanemax]

There was also a recent story , quite similar to this story , of the young American couple that had also just arrived in Thailand that day , they also went to a bar , one of them also went to the toilet , the other one then also got abducted and held in a room over night , escaped and then they also set up a go fund me page

[tropo]

23 minutes ago, sanemax said:

He has a " patchy recollection " , which could mean that *I,m making this up as I go along , and if I contradict myselff , or say something that turns out not to be true, then I can change my mind and say something different*

    

If he has multiple fractures to his legs, that's more than enough to cloud his memory. 

Edited November 7, 2017 by tropo

[FritsSikkink]

So his wife goes to the toilet. In the mean time there stops a car, people get out, show him a gun ask for money. He says he doesn't have any, they get in a fight. He gets severely injured.

People call, police/ambulance. ambulance arrives, look at the status of the guy. Get him in the ambulance. Police asks around what happened, write the story down, leave the place.

 

Wife comes back from toilet, where is my husband?

 

Great story.

[stevenl]

19 minutes ago, ScotBkk said:

You always get one. Where may I ask did I refer to others mate ???

In your post 'mate'.

[Peterw42]

6 minutes ago, tropo said:

If he has multiple fractures to his legs, that's more than enough to cloud his memory. Have you ever had leg surgery? I have, and my head wasn't too clear when I woke up. It was a motorcycle accident, but the details forever remained foggy.

Why no head injuries, there would be some head injuries causing him to be unconscious. If he wasn't unconscious he would of sent someone to get his wife, told the ambulance to wait etc.

[sanemax]

Why is this story not all over the Thai media ?

This allegedly involves :

Robbery with a firearm

Abduction

Attempted murder 

There have been Thai media reports recently about felangs pissing in the road and doing wheelies on motorbikes .

  Why havent the Thai media covered this and why havent the Police released any information or even commented ? 

 

[JamJar]

44 minutes ago, sanemax said:

He has a " patchy recollection " , which could mean that *I,m making this up as I go along , and if I contradict myselff , or say something that turns out not to be true, then I can change my mind and say something different*

    

 

One of the most sensible that things you have written on the forum. :)

[tropo]

16 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

Why no head injuries, there would be some head injuries causing him to be unconscious. If he wasn't unconscious he would of sent someone to get his wife, told the ambulance to wait etc.

How do you know there weren't head injuries? The point I made that if he's suffering from multiple leg fractures, and had surgery, his head won't necessarily be clear.

[Peterw42]

4 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Why is this story not all over the Thai media ?

This allegedly involves :

Robbery with a firearm

Abduction

Attempted murder 

There have been Thai media reports recently about felangs pissing in the road and doing wheelies on motorbikes .

  Why havent the Thai media covered this and why havent the Police released any information or even commented ? 

 

As per post 182, the phuket news and the police know nothing about it

[JamJar]

1 hour ago, Get Real said:

No, concern at all. You must always have a buffer if something happens.
If the insurance is valid, why would they need to investigate?

 

The insurance is valid. Perhaps the claim is not.

The insurance company is disputing the claim, not investigating it.

They have already investigated, otherwise they wouldn't be disputing it. 

 

One might note that the wording on the Crowdfund er page has changed considerably.

 

Originally;

 

Quote

Please help Denise and Mik get home.  Mik has been attacked in Thailand and is currently in hospital.  Denise is on her own but fortunately not hurt.  The Insurance are disputing their claim and they need money to help them.  Please give what you can xx

 

 

Now;

 

Quote

Mik and Denise have had a nightmare in Thailand .. this page is to help pay the medical bill they have incurred whilst being there xx

 

 

[Get Real]

41 minutes ago, tropo said:

Lucky you don't run an insurance company. Of course, they need to investigate and the reason should be obvious.

Yeah, I am happy about that too. Would be a terrible business, with all the foreigners that travel everywhere and get in problem.

[jenny2017]

18 hours ago, Scouse123 said:

A gun mugging in broad daylight in an extremely busy tourist spot, where by his wife's admission, she couldn't see for the crowds?? ........................... Strange even for Thailand.

 

Who goes the first day of a holiday in a foreign country and waits in the street whilst the wife uses the toilet. I would have ordered a fruit juice and waited inside nearby the toilet for her, I think that is normal behaviour on my first day in a strange land and not wanting to lose ' the other half '

 

You would expect face and hand or arm injuries in the event of a mugging not leg injuries.

 

  I think there must be something very odd if the insurance is disputing the claim and they have quickly resorted to Facebook fundraising but no doubt the truth will come out.

You're right. Inside Phuket, you'd have some video footage and almost all Thais and foreigners these days have a phone with a camera. Why's there no witness to a robbery? 

 

    I tend to believe that the story isn't right and such leg injuries could be from a motorcycle accident somewhere outside of town.

 

   As you already said, i wouldn't leave my wife alone and would make sure that nothing will happen to her. The story smells damn fishy and a go fund me page having an insurance, makes it very suspicious.

 

   I remember an American in Bangkok who got robbed and called the cops to his hotel room where the robbery took place.

 

  After a short search all the items, an expensive camera, a notebook, money etc.. that were stolen were found, plus a few hundred grams of ganja.

 

  I'm certain that some new information will come in and I don't think it's a great idea to give Thailand such a bad name. 

 

   Such a story sounds so scary and people will believe that such things happen every day all over the country.

 

  The insurance doesn't pay because they've got information from the cops that don't add up. 

 

  Well, it never happened to me, or any friends who live here more than 15 years. Somebody, eventually the ambulance drivers will spread some light on this. Just wait and see. 

Edited November 7, 2017 by jenny2017

[jenny2017]

8 minutes ago, JamJar said:

 

The insurance is valid. Perhaps the claim is not.

The insurance company is disputing the claim, not investigating it.

They have already investigated, otherwise they wouldn't be disputing it. 

 

One might note that the wording on the Crowdfund er page has changed considerably.

 

Originally;

 

 

 

Now;

 

 

 

Great work, Dr. Watson! 

[jhonnie]

6 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

Research would show almost "NO" incidents of armed robbery on tourists, and reletively low reports of muggings on tourists, and millions of people who have had great birthday holidays

and that same research detailing reports on  serious injury would include statistics  that  would show motorbike and road accidents involving foreign visitors  to be one of the most frequent ways of getting hurt 

[sanemax]

10 minutes ago, JamJar said:

 

 

 

One might note that the wording on the Crowdfund er page has changed considerably.

 

Originally;

 

 

 

Now;

 

 

 

They sure have . They have dropped the "been attacked" angle from their story .

Did they speak to someone from the Embassy , got interviewed by the Police , found to have not been telling the truth .

    Got informed about the computer crime and defamation laws in Thailand and were advised to remove the allegations ?

 

http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/get-mik-and-denise-home

[Scouse123]

6 minutes ago, sanemax said:

They sure have . They have dropped the "been attacked" angle from their story .

Did they speak to someone from the Embassy , got interviewed by the Police , found to have not been telling the truth .

    Got informed about the computer crime and defamation laws in Thailand and were advised to remove the allegations ?

 

http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/get-mik-and-denise-home

Yes,

 

This is now looking decidedly an odd state of affairs.

[jenny2017]

6 minutes ago, sanemax said:

They sure have . They have dropped the "been attacked" angle from their story .

Did they speak to someone from the Embassy , got interviewed by the Police , found to have not been telling the truth .

    Got informed about the computer crime and defamation laws in Thailand and were advised to remove the allegations ?

 

http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/get-mik-and-denise-home

I don't think it's a great idea to badmouth a whole country. Some relatives have a business in Phuket, so how does reflect on them? Some of the nicest people I know....

[sanemax]

2 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

Yes,

 

This is now looking decidedly an odd state of affairs.

I do think that we wont be hearing anymore from this story .

The allegations have been removed , the Police have nothing to investigate , the couple will want no more publicity .

    Case closed 

[MaeJoMTB]

1 hour ago, tropo said:

If he has multiple fractures to his legs, that's more than enough to cloud his memory. 

Leg bones are very strong, almost impossible to break without mechanical assistance.

Sure, you could break a leg with the assistance of a baseball bat, but during a mugging strikes would be more likely to the head or arms.

 

Could you try thinking before posting?

[LomSak27]

1 hour ago, sanemax said:

There was also a recent story , quite similar to this story , of the young American couple that had also just arrived in Thailand that day , they also went to a bar , one of them also went to the toilet , the other one then also got abducted and held in a room over night , escaped and then they also set up a go fund me page

You got a link on that or name - was it here  on TVisa - I  missed that one. Always like to keep up on these stories.

 

[sanemax]

6 minutes ago, LomSak27 said:

You got a link on that or name - was it here  on TVisa - I  missed that one. Always like to keep up on these stories.

 

https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/did-american-tourist-alex-fairfield-get-abducted-bangkok/

[stevenl]

4 minutes ago, oldgent said:

Others.... I think you need to change your glasses.

That, but really his whole post. However, I do agree there is no point in educating the unwilling.

[Russell17au]

7 hours ago, Kerryd said:

"Mik" posted a pic of himself at the Drunken Leprechuan at 3:36pm on 3 Nov.

Kerryd could you please either direct me to this pic or could you please post a copy of this pic with all details on it. This pic will give much more information into this matter

[Peterw42]

7 minutes ago, Russell17au said:

Kerryd could you please either direct me to this pic or could you please post a copy of this pic with all details on it. This pic will give much more information into this matter

Its on his facebook "Mik Laverty"

[wavemanwww]

Christ!!! A man, and being older waiting for his wife outside a place while she goes to a toilet and the comments here are mainly, "he had a motorbike accident and hopefully had insurance". Where is human decency here and logic!? I'm disgusted.