British dad jailed in Thailand for 'abducting' son who 'asked to be taken away'

[mick01827]

Terrible situation for the whole family BUT yet another gofundme page, why not get a loan or sell things that you own to raise the money instead of begging, where has all this begging come from? I would do everything in power to resolve this if I wasin the same position, I definitely wouldn't rely on donations. 

Sorry if this offends anyone, just my opinion. 

[kevozman1]

Starting a family in the UK or Thailand is certainly not a gamble I am personally willing to take. Not the way things currently are anyway.

 

I feel sorry for the kid really. Dad will probably be blacklisted and the child will possibly never see him again. As for Mum, seems there is a fairly high chance she is not exactly a decent character. Sad.

[JLCrab]

Well it sure sounds to me that Mr. Smith in OP is a rank amateur and the real reason he is in jail right now is that he got some very bad advice and support from the abduction 'expert' Mr. Felton of AbductedAngels (dot) org who it seems is also now in jail in Thailand.

Edited February 25, 2018 by JLCrab

[Tilacme]

11 minutes ago, peter48 said:

We can really feel for this chap. Mostly its better to live with mixed Thai/Farang younger kids in UK /Europe first  after the marriage and then if it does not work out( quite frequent)  the wife can go back home while UK dad brings him/her up in UK , with UK passport, with better schools, higher standard of living etc., Generally most want to stay in UK but it can be hard going for 1 dad family although if children are in year 6 or beyond its slightly easier also depends on dad's job. The old rule applies do not get married to Thai lady unless you are really, really compatible otherwise relationships are less risk free. 

Sorry but how  does your "old rule" bare on this case?  This is about child contact, your comments are meaningless.

[jenny2017]

20 minutes ago, mick01827 said:

Terrible situation for the whole family BUT yet another gofundme page, why not get a loan or sell things that you own to raise the money instead of begging, where has all this begging come from? I would do everything in power to resolve this if I wasin the same position, I definitely wouldn't rely on donations. 

Sorry if this offends anyone, just my opinion. 

I've just googled his name and I'm more than negatively surprised. A new and very sick way to live on other peoples' money? Please see screenshot.

Edited February 25, 2018 by jenny2017

[Sumarianson]

I am just about to deal with a similar situation. I have a 9 year old girl who was born in the UK and lived there till she was 4. The mother and I never had a good relationship, it broke in London. I allowed her (mistakenly) to take the child back to Thailand. I sold up and came here (mistake). Long story short. The mother is a sociopath. I am legally my daughters father ( with Thai paperwork) but only see her a few hours 1 day a week no holidays and she is not being allowed to leave the country by her mother to see her family in the UK or anywhere else. I now have to resort to court proceedings and hope that the Thai court system is just.

[sniper]

For anyone in a similar situation, there are some very porous borders with neighbouring countries which might be an option, rather than trying an airport route, lots of dodgy characters cross the land borders without the formalities of immigration or even a passport. 

[Tilacme]

21 minutes ago, mick01827 said:

Terrible situation for the whole family BUT yet another gofundme page, why not get a loan or sell things that you own to raise the money instead of begging, where has all this begging come from? I would do everything in power to resolve this if I wasin the same position, I definitely wouldn't rely on donations. 

Sorry if this offends anyone, just my opinion. 

I gave to gofundme once, mate of mine decided to walk the Sahara, he got sunstroke, liver damage and near sight loss. I sent him £50 quid. Thats my benchmark.

[sniper]

4 minutes ago, Sumarianson said:

I am just about to deal with a similar situation. I have a 9 year old girl who was born in the UK and lived there till she was 4. The mother and I never had a good relationship, it broke in London. I allowed her (mistakenly) to take the child back to Thailand. I sold up and came here (mistake). Long story short. The mother is a sociopath. I am legally my daughters father ( with Thai paperwork) but only see her a few hours 1 day a week no holidays and she is not being allowed to leave the country by her mother to see her family in the UK or anywhere else. I now have to resort to court proceedings and hope that the Thai court system is just.

Email me, I have information that may be useful to you.

[sanemax]

1 hour ago, suzannegoh said:

Hang the bastard. I know a Thai woman who had that happen, her French ex abducted her 8 year old daughter back to France rather than try to get custody of the kid in a Thai court. It absolutely devastated the mother, and since Thailand isn't a signatory of the Hague Treaty On Child Abduction, once the Frenchman got the kid outside of Thailand there was no legal avenue open to her to get the kid back.

The kid wasnt "her" kid , kids are both the mumas and papas .

Equal (should be anyway)

[amykat]

To add to that, I recently left the country with my daughter, and in the past I brought plenty of paperwork.  But one time I lost my carry on baggage temporarily with those documents in it and so now I think twice about carrying that around with me.  Thank goodness somebody thought there might be a bomb in my bag and reported it.  But it was gone for a few days.  Nobody ever asked me for any paperwork when I left the country, starting when she was about 4 years old.

 

This December I left and they asked me for her birth cert and all kinds of things I did NOT have with me and said SHE CAN'T LEAVE!!  I was in shock!!   They must be cracking down on this.  I showed them all the times in our passports we have left together and her 10 year US visa and still they said NO.  I showed them tons of ID. Well eventually I manged to talk to the big boss and she let us go, but she looked us up in many computers and took photos and things first.  Made sure I had return tickets too.  She also asked me to have someone go home and get her birth cert, which would not have helped because she is adopted, but I just shut up about it and said it is locked in a safe, which is true. I thought that would just cause more problems. She even has my name on her passport.  So be warned people, the airport is not an easy place as it once was and that was CM airport.

[Sirbergan]

15 minutes ago, jenny2017 said:

I've just googled his name and I'm more than negatively surprised. A new and very sick way to live on other peoples' money? Please see screenshot.

They are not the same people ...Jodie, Jody and Jodi Smith are all different people.

[MaeJoMTB]

41 minutes ago, Tilacme said:

In uk the 2 are dealt with by separate courts as i am sure they are in Holland.

No, all done by family court. Same judge did everything in my divorce and child access.

[Acemaker]

5 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

 They then tried to marry in Thailand, but the official stopped the ceremony when Jintra admitted she was already wed under local laws to another Brit.

 

 

Another classy Thai female. 

Sheesh, you couldnt make it up!

[Rc2702]

3 hours ago, jenny2017 said:

Same, same???   https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/dads-frantic-thai-search-son-7797

That's the chap who helped scottish guy attempt to get his son back. Seems the chap who helped him had done the same thing but used a very different way to obtain his son's custodial rights. It's a very sad story but I can't help thinking this Scottish guy ignored the advice of the guy who helped him and made a seriously bad move thinking he could just jump on a plane. Brings to question why the helper from the charity went along with it and then got jailed too. A film on this subject based on the helper/charities own experience may even playing a part in this knowingly or unknowingly.

[Tilacme]

1 minute ago, MaeJoMTB said:

No, all done by family court. Same judge did everything in my divorce and child access.

Can i ask when ?

[todlad]

4 hours ago, Sonhia said:

I feel for this guy. I have both a son and daughter, unfortunately born in Thailand, and know full well from bitter experiences, the feeling of being held back as a father, the anxiety, frustration, the not knowing, dealing with the carefree attitude of the Thai mother, who normally pushes the children onto the grandparents, in most cases, and using the father as a friend with benefits to  simply extort money from, so they can wear gold, or have the latest smart phone with the fake accessories, trying to be high so. You cannot make a silk purse from a pigs ear, but they try!

 

I've been there. .!

 

I personally would never take either my son or daughter from their respective mother, not unless the welfare of the child was/is at risk.

 

However, more assistance should be made available to foreigne fathers. As in my case, the British Embassy did very little to assist me and in fact, my Sons British passport was registered in my family name, but the Embassy allowed his British name, as stated on my sons Thai birth certificate, to be changed to his Thai name, even after I refused to allow his name to be changed! The British Embassy should pull its tongue out and focus more on its own citizens!

 

Those many fathers, out there, will know what I'm taking about.

 

As for taking the matter to a Thai court, I've been there too. A waste of time, money, frustration etc. I'm a farang. Lowest of the low!

 

I fully appreciate the fathers actions, but feel that placing him in jail, is yet another slap in the face for foreigners. Ok, it is  abduction, but it's his own flesh and blood, and he probably was doing it for a very good reason?! Let's face it, Education in Thailand is sub standard, future outlook is bleak etc and although the U.K, is not a perfect place,  it is, however, a much better place compared to here. FACT!

 

Some may ask, "Why do you stay?" Because of my children, and for no other reasons at all. I could run, but I man up, unlike the locals, and try to be a part of my children's life, although much restricted! 

 

I wish the father, in this report, plus all all those other caring fathers the best, but it is a struggle. 

 

 

I am genuinely interested in this part of your post:

"... in fact, my Sons British passport was registered in my family name, but the Embassy allowed his British name, as stated on my sons Thai birth certificate, to be changed to his Thai name, even after I refused to allow his name to be changed!"

I don't understand that Thai name part. Your son's birth certificate shows your surname. My daughter is registered in Thailand with my surname on her birth certificate, her mother adopted my surname when we got married. 

I am not facing any problems of any kind but just wonder at the British Embassy and their role and power in such things: why would they use a Thai name that, in law and in fact, don't seem to exist!

 

 

 

[MaeJoMTB]

3 minutes ago, Tilacme said:

Can i ask when ?

2009-2010, I was allowed 2 hours supervised contact 2x a week, which I didn't bother with.

If she wanted them that much IMHO she could keep them. Not seen any of them (4 kids) since.

 

Edited February 25, 2018 by MaeJoMTB

[sanemax]

23 minutes ago, jenny2017 said:

I've just googled his name and I'm more than negatively surprised. A new and very sick way to live on other peoples' money? Please see screenshot.

Not sure what Ms Jody Smith , the Australian female has to do with this

[Tilacme]

Okay well things have changed.

[Wilsonandson]

Terrible situation for the whole family BUT yet another gofundme page, why not get a loan or sell things that you own to raise the money instead of begging, where has all this begging come from? I would do everything in power to resolve this if I wasin the same position, I definitely wouldn't rely on donations. 
Sorry if this offends anyone, just my opinion. 

As this is an expat forum with members who might have had similar events such as these happen. Then it is the perfect place to ask for a donation. Now it's up to you but you know the situation, what the bloke is going through. You're not sending your money to some international charity where you don't really know what it gets spent on. Look at Oxfam, recent news about Haiti.

Helping a fellow expat going through a bad time is in my opinion the best charity to give to being cast in the same mould. Us expats should stick together or go full native and you ask a Thai for a donation. No way, hose!

[MaeJoMTB]

53 minutes ago, Tilacme said:

Your point about having another bite of the cherry on divorce only, as i understand it, applies to significant undisclosed wealth.

MY pal has been back to court 4x when his former wife requested reassessments after the divorce.

Once she was given more, the other times not, but he had to do the financial declarations each time.

If their finances change or your finances change, they can have another go.

 

Back on topic,

These guys must have been seriously stupid to get caught.

I would have waded across the river at the Mae Sot refugee camp, and proceeded from there.

Edited February 25, 2018 by MaeJoMTB

[Media1]

5 hours ago, Tradewind777 said:

Thailand is a signatory of The Hague Convention and as such once the processes are completed, Thailand would have to send the child back to UK. However, lengthy legal challenges are possible and it can drag out indefinitely and if she can argue the case effectively (sometimes perps get away with falsehoods), she can get away with it.

 

Jodie was however in the wrong to take the law into his own hands and bypass the processes for which he is in hot water.

 

It’s a dreadful case of possession being nine tenths of the law.

We all know the outcome of the laughable racist law here..Laughable like everything else. Evil corruption at it purest.

[Acemaker]

3 hours ago, amykat said:

I don't know why certain people tend to want to call people negative terms like this, bitter and hateful, when they are simply describing things that go on here in a realistic way.  Calling a pile of shit a field of daisies, is not necessarily a good trait to have, but some people believe you must take a positive outlook or something is wrong with you?  Do you get angry and call people bitter and twisted when they describe WW2 atrocities or you don't have any skin in that game so it doesn't bother you?

Excellent Post.

[robblok]

11 minutes ago, MaeJoMTB said:

MY pal has been back to court 4x when his former wife requested reassessments after the divorce.

Once she was given more, the other times not, but he had to do the financial declarations each time.

If their finances change or your finances change, they can have another go.

 

Back on topic,

These guys must have been seriously stupid to get caught.

I would have waded across the river at the Mae Sot refugee camp, and proceeded from there.

A client of mine male.. has been given reassessments and has to pay a lower amount. His ex-wife was not happy at all. Seems in my country the law is applied more fairly. I know the case of my client well as i helped file his income tax and those were the bas of the reassessments. 

[Acemaker]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

But some people are calling the whole field of daisies a pile of shit because they stepped in some...  which does come across as being bitter.

 

I think that’s the point Rob was making.

Oh Rob, eh, we must not upset know all, self Righteous Rob, as he preaches from his Pulpit to us lesser Mortals who dare to have a different viewpoint to his.   

[evadgib]

34 minutes ago, MaeJoMTB said:

2009-2010, I was allowed 2 hours supervised contact 2x a week, which I didn't bother with.

If she wanted them that much IMHO she could keep them. Not seen any of them (4 kids) since.

Been there too mate; a 12 hour/200 mile round trip with no leeway from the courts or should I say FCWS/CAFCASS if football traffic caused me to be late yet if my ex old trout failed to turn up from just 6 miles away cos she, errr, 'forgot' they did absolutely nothing to support me at the next hearing. I eventually obtained 3x FCWS/CAFCASS reports under the then new DPA 98 and forcibly amended every single error or downright porkie before filing the amended versions at court & CCing the relevant authorities.

 

(My route served around a dozen Premier League or Championship stadia, indeed the contact centre was 500m from Pride Park!)

Edited February 25, 2018 by evadgib

[car720]

Where is the love?

I think with the father.

She was currently married to a falang.

The kids represent nothing more than a money train to her.

If he had enough he should have made an offer but maybe he just didn't have the readies.

[maxcorrigan]

3 hours ago, JLCrab said:

Interesting note from the Scottish Sun  link in Post #2:

 

"And after being blanked by his ex, he took drastic action and travelled to Thailand to rescue his son with Sean Felton, founder of charity Abducted Angels, who has also been arrested."

 

www.abductedangels.org

I think that is the crux of this man's sorry plight, being led on by this group via a smooth talking rep. and believing there would be no problems, now they're are both in the slammer, desperate situation to be in, can only hope for the best for this man! 

[Lucky mike]

No one said life was fair ?