Pattaya bar fight: Key witness says Australian man beaten to death over “misunderstanding”

[lucjoker]

do not believe the news.........i heard that the american only knocked him on 

the floor ......and that a group of angry bar-ladies ....finisched the job.......rumours ?

[Briggsy]

#Release the CCTV @ Pattaya Police

[Jonah777]

Defending one's self as Mr. Jose Polanco claims   ...does NOT include stomping on Mr. Robb's head repeatedly when he's down, causing death. If that's the case, this NOT self-defence and that excuse shall not hold up in court.  He'd better get a damn good lawyer or a very full brown paper bag to donate to the prosecutor's office.  

[Crash999]

4 hours ago, Old Croc said:

Good to see there is now CCTV coverage, and also credible witnesses to debunk the crap about the victim lifting and choking the bargirl.

The idiotic self defense plea should also be shown to be just typical victim blaming to try to excuse extreme violent behavior. 

There are also credible witnesses that said the waitress was choked and lifted up in the air. Including the waitress herself. 

[Muzarella]

If those places don't have its own and well  trained security personnel, it is time to change its regulations. 

Edited February 15, 2018 by Muzarella

[Pattaya46]

8 minutes ago, Crash999 said:

There are also credible witnesses that said the waitress was choked and lifted up in the air. Including the waitress herself. 

Which witnesses?

Sources please?

From the first message of this topic: "Ms Sangsuwan [the waitress] said that while it may have looked violent, her and Mr Robb were in fact “just joking” and that at no time did she feel threatened by the Australian. "

[Russell17au]

6 hours ago, Crash999 said:

I would take these witness statements with a grain of salt. Many people were drunk and there are lots of conflicting reports already. First that it was a group attack. Then that it was one guy who stomped on the Aussie over and over with chairs being thrown. Then the attack was over in 20 seconds. Then a Darth Vader choke. Now the choke was just a little playing around. 

 

Not all of these can be true obviously. 

 

Let’s see what the video says. 

There is one witness that cannot dismissed and that is the bar girl who was involved in the incident with the Aussie guy, because she would know if he was serious or they were only fooling around. Did he really grab her by the throat and lift he off the ground until he faced turned blue, is this what she claimed or was it these so called other witnesses that were too drunk to stop the American from killing the Australian and therefore too drunk to know what was happening. If the CCTV was not working at the time then the bar should be heavily fined and its license suspended until such time that it can prove that it is going to operate in accordance with the law

[Briggsy]

3 minutes ago, Russell17au said:

There is one witness that cannot dismissed and that is the bar girl who was involved in the incident with the Aussie guy, because she would know if he was serious or they were only fooling around. Did he really grab her by the throat and lift he off the ground until he faced turned blue, is this what she claimed or was it these so called other witnesses that were too drunk to stop the American from killing the Australian and therefore too drunk to know what was happening. If the CCTV was not working at the time then the bar should be heavily fined and its license suspended until such time that it can prove that it is going to operate in accordance with the law

The CCTV was working and the police have it.

 

They have declined to release it to the public.

 

The police control the show here as investigative journalism does not exist here and the local journalists know better than to go around getting quotes from witnesses. The police and the police only control what statements are put into the press. The police and police only control what evidence is passed to the prosecutor. The police and the police only decide what charges are laid if any. There is no oversight. There is no Independent Police Commission reviewing their work.

 

Thus the police have a very free hand in choosing how the case proceeds. This gives them the opportunity to water down the charges, lose damning evidence, paint the case through the press in a certain light in exchange for MONEY.

 

The police run the show.

[Jonah777]

Please remember, Thai officials call Pattaya City: "a WORLD CLASS RESORT"

 

You may chuckle now.

[shackleton]

Fact one person deceased  one in Jail 

lets wait until the investigation takes its course

and the True  facts come out 

If found guilty then the punishment suits the crime 

[diehard60]

thats pataya for you

[Chriss77]

I am hearing totally different reports. One reliable friend has informed me www.bangkokpost.com tell a different story, He also arrived at Ruby bar on Wed to suss out. He seems to think Old mate Rob may have been at fault. He said apparently he caused some strife in a bar on Soi 6 moments before.Cause of death was head hitting the floor.

I don't know. Just letting all know. Sad state of affairs regardless

[MeHere]

25 minutes ago, Chriss77 said:

<snip> Cause of death was head hitting the floor. <snip>

yeah right...
every action has an equal and opposite reaction

[Pattaya46]

29 minutes ago, Chriss77 said:

// www.bangkokpost.com tell a different story,  //

 

It was an early story that they took mainly from Facebook, without much verification! It's more or less the story that the murderer said to the Police and that his friends have spread on forums and Facebook: the lady was in danger; the Australian was violent; he punched first; the American only punched him once in self-defense; the head of the Australian sadly hit the floor, that was an accident; etc.  The Police then didn't yet had the CCTV videos nor the witnesses' reports but now nearly all of this early story proved to be false - some would say bullshit.

 

From last events, seems more like: the lady was not in danger; she was playing a kind of game/simulation with the Australian; the American intervened without reason and hit the Australian more than 10 times, most of times when he was already on the floor and unable to protect himself. Nothing like an accident!

Edited February 15, 2018 by Pattaya46

[pacovl46]

23 hours ago, RareDingo said:

I'm never sure about internet news, or any news anymore.  News outlets sometimes just trying to sell news, any news, to make a buck.  However, IF and I say IF this man has been charged with murder before (so young 42 to be out of jail), how they hell did he ever get a passport and how the hell did the Thai customs authorities ever let this piece of work into their country.  They are only asking for trouble, which they got, or more, some poor bastard on holiday's messing around with a Thai bar lady.  The mind boggles.  I hope the truth comes out, and those posting picks on social media are just as complicit in this crazy act as the boofhead who clearly has an anger management issue.  JMHO

The first murder happened when he was still a teenager. He was sentenced to 6 or 9 years, but his sentence was downgraded to manslaughter so he did only two and got 5 years probation. So, he's been out for at least two decades. If he managed to stay out of trouble since then there's no reason why he shouldn't get a passport. I'm not sure about the US but in Germany your record gets cleared after a a considerable amount of time has passed if there haven't been any new charges. I'm not taking his side, though. 

[Chriss77]

8 minutes ago, MeHere said:

yeah right...
every action has an equal and opposite reaction

yeah......a punch in the head, then head hits floor !

No one knows, not even you mate.

I gobbed off on bookface saying "RIP Benjamin Robb.etc", then a very close friend informed me that day about the Bangkokpost.com article and that he was heading to Pattaya. He visited the joint. He got his story, he also got another version from a bloke who was also there at the time (good friend i met at Kangaroo bar Phuket),  i got the story from Thai Visa. So there you have 3 different versions. Who the *#^k knows. Odds are against the yank but i'm not puttin money on it...

[Chriss77]

15 minutes ago, Pattaya46 said:

 

It was an early story that they took mainly from Facebook, without much verification! It's more or less the story that the murderer said to the Police and that his friends have spread on forums and Facebook: the lady was in danger; the Australian was violent; he punched first; the American only punched him once in self-defense; the head of the Australian sadly hit the floor, that was an accident; etc.  The Police then didn't yet had the CCTV videos nor the witnesses' reports but now nearly all of this early story proved to be false - some would say bullshit.

 

From last events, seems more like: the lady was not in danger; she was playing a kind of game/simulation with the Australian; the American intervened without reason and hit the Australian more than 10 times, most of times when he was already on the floor and unable to protect himself. Nothing like an accident!

ok. Cheers mate.

I didnt know how early it was, but as soon as i posted my condolences on bookface, he immediately informed me that perhaps a different version occurred and told me about the Bangkokpost.com article.

We all will see soon i spose....

[tingtongtourist]

4 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

 

Because they have reporters on location in Pattaya; because they came interrogate people at the bar and at nearby bars; because they show videos of the Policemen interviews; because the clearly indicate the name of the Police officer when they quote him; etc...

what? they have sitting journos just waiting around in Pattaya for news about sexpats and bar room brawls??

lol

[Pattaya46]

5 minutes ago, Chriss77 said:

yeah......a punch in the head, then head hits floor !

//

So there you have 3 different versions. Who the *#^k knows. 

 

What about the videos on 9News where you can see a Thai Police officer say that on the CCTV we can see the American punching the Australian, and then the American hitting the Australian again while he is down on the floor... Isn't he someone you could trust about the real story?

[CG1 Blue]

7 hours ago, rkidlad said:

You make it sound like cage fighters have PTSD. The only reason someone beats another person to a pulp is because they have mental problems. Cage fighting might be a brutal fighting sport, but I'd like to think that most who fight do so with honour and respect for the rules and their opponents. (you may notice after many fights they shake hands and say well done) Isn't that what it's all supposed to be about? 

 

If he were a cage fighter, that would just make it worse. Because he really should know better. 

The hand shaking after a brutal contest is common in most physical sports - nothing special there.

What shocks me is the way a cage fighter can continue to pummel their opponent once they're grounded and in a lot of bother - unlike in boxing. And when the mind is programmed that way they're likely to do the same in a street fight.

 

That's why I wondered if Polanco had that background

[Chriss77]

4 minutes ago, Pattaya46 said:

 

What about the videos on 9News where you can see a Thai Police officer say that on the CCTV we can see the American punching the Australian, and then the American hitting the Australian again while he is down on the floor... Isn't he someone you could trust about the real story?

Media and Thai police officers are on the same level of trustworthiness, lets be honest 

[bananafish]

Someone who wants to protect someone else does not stamp on somebodies head "at least 10 times". 

 

If someone stamps on someones head at least 10 times, under any circumstances whatsoever, they are an evil, twisted, sick s.o.a.b who should be locked up in a grubby Thai prison for 20+ years. 

[farcanell]

6 minutes ago, tingtongtourist said:

what? they have sitting journos just waiting around in Pattaya for news about sexpats and bar room brawls??

lol

I know that it seems as though everything happens in pattaya.... but a couple of hours drive away, is Bangkok, where ABCs south East Asian correspondent is based.... im sure there are others... actually, we all know there are others, because they have been getting dragged into Thai courts ( one here in Phuket a couple of years ago... and the Brit, just last year)

 

so.... they may not be just waiting around for bar fights, but they can certainly check out such items that Australia (Australians) will be very interested in... news worthy stuff, like an Australian tourist getting viciously assaulted and killed by a convicted killer. 

 

 

 

[gerritkaew]

when you have a fight and your opponent is on the floor you stop. what this guy dos was whiteout misunderstanding nothing more then to give his opponent a brutal dead, its sickening.. A life for a life, no jail time for this monster.

[hangdonger]

If he stomped on the guys head multiple times, it is no longer manslaughter it is murder; never belived the initial story about coming to a bar girls aid, the girls would have beat the shit out of the Aussie if that was the real story. Absolutely disgusting if that is the case. 

[rkidlad]

39 minutes ago, CG1 Blue said:

The hand shaking after a brutal contest is common in most physical sports - nothing special there.

What shocks me is the way a cage fighter can continue to pummel their opponent once they're grounded and in a lot of bother - unlike in boxing. And when the mind is programmed that way they're likely to do the same in a street fight.

 

That's why I wondered if Polanco had that background

I think it wound be safer to assume he’s a massive idiot with a violent temper. 

[dunroaming]

On ‎2‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 9:07 AM, darksidedog said:

It just goes to show you should never poke your nose in to something, unless you are 100% sure of what is actually happening. It was bad enough already, without it turning out to be a misunderstanding that kicked it all off.

If you see, as a man, what you believe to be, someone harming a woman  then I think most of us would step in.  Pull the guy off and then establish what was going on.  Then kick the guy out of the bar and warn him you have marked his card.

 

In this case the moronic American used this as an excuse to beat the idiot Australian to death.  There is no justification for this murder.

[Brad 2]

Sure ask but don't murder someone.                  kapish        kowji                                     Get real               Second time this guy has murdered some one .

 

And you don't think  he has done wrong     GET REAL

[Kadilo]

5 minutes ago, dunroaming said:

If you see, as a man, what you believe to be, someone harming a woman  then I think most of us would step in.  Pull the guy off and then establish what was going on.  Then kick the guy out of the bar and warn him you have marked his card.

 

In this case the moronic American used this as an excuse to beat the idiot Australian to death.  There is no justification for this murder.

I agree in principle with what you are saying and that most would want to prevent someone harming a lady. Sadly I've seen people over here get themselves in all sorts of trouble particularly with Thais for following this instinct. 

Im not sure in a bar in Soi 6 I would feel the same way. People get up to all sorts of "games" after a few shots and a lot of the girls partake for a few baht or a feee shot. In this case it may or may not have been a silly prank that went wrong who really knows. 

[palace15]

I think the misunderstanding was that when you go to a bar to 'pick-up' a girl, it's NOT by the neck !