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

[robblok]

13 minutes ago, Acemaker said:

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.   

I just don't like people bashing Thais all the time and tarring them with the same brush. I know its bad to have such enlightened views here on Thaivisa. We should all feel that we are way above Thais and our white skin makes us superior. 

[robblok]

2 hours 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.

That is the point I am making, people seem to love to bash all Thais for something that certainly does happen but not with every Thai and it certainly isn't always the Thai her fault. Seems we got a lot people here who are only happy if they can bash all Thai females or males. 

 

If people use bit of nuance once in a while it would not be so bad.

[Rc2702]

8 minutes ago, maxcorrigan said:

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! 

Rep had experienced his own very similar custodial battle in Thailand so what the f-uck was he thinking with this lame plan. 

[FritsSikkink]

3 hours ago, taxin said:

If they do not have a legally registered marriage in Thailand yes she will.

If you apply a condition it isn't every time anymore.

[Megasin1]

5 hours ago, Kadilo said:

I feel desperately sorry for him as I do many single fathers all over the world in a similar position. There are great organisations such as FNF but at the end of the day if the female wants to break you she will.


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

I don't agree....sorry. Fought for my English kids and won. They have lived with me since. Realised my Thai daughter required more patience and a different approach and she is now at school in England and only likely to return to Thailand for holidays. I really feel for this guy. He should have been a bit smarter and not left by the obvious route, however he seems to be restricted by funds. I wouldn't condemn any of his actions. As a loving parent he just did what he thought was best at the time. Imagine the horror for a 9 year old child to find themselves without a father in a third world country abandoned on the streets. I would imagine he has a British passport so this would be a rescue, not an abduction and the consular staff should have been there to ensure this went the right way. 

[Rc2702]

8 minutes ago, robblok said:

That is the point I am making, people seem to love to bash all Thais for something that certainly does happen but not with every Thai and it certainly isn't always the Thai her fault. Seems we got a lot people here who are only happy if they can bash all Thai females or males. 

 

If people use bit of nuance once in a while it would not be so bad.

Fair enough thanks for sharing but it is what it is with some folk. No point trying to change their views and detract from the actual story and you are derailing the thread and it's a fairly serious one. So what's more important your dislike of Thai bashers or the current plight of a child and two imprisoned men?

[dunroaming]

6 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

 

Thai mother doesn't win everytime

No they don't and I know of a few cases where the farang dad gets full custody, even in Thailand!  

[robblok]

6 minutes ago, Rc2702 said:

Fair enough thanks for sharing but it is what it is with some folk. No point trying to change their views and detract from the actual story and you are derailing the thread and it's a fairly serious one. So what's more important your dislike of Thai bashers or the current plight of a child and two imprisoned men?

There are others too here who detract from the actual story that is what happens on a forum. The plight of those 2 men is of their own making. Its real sad they get punished for doing the right thing, however committing a crime to right an other crime is not the right way to go. 

 

He would have either had to pay-off the mom (rewarding a crime) but avoiding this what has happened now or he had to go through the Thai justice system or wait for the UK justice system do its work. He did not like the system and tried to do it his own way and now he and the other guy are facing the consequences of this. Its sad but in hindsight it might have been better do things a different way. 

[tropo]

6 hours ago, geovalin said:

The Scottish article is better than the Mirror's one

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2278541/edinburgh-dad-jodie-smith-jail-thailand-rescue-son-joleon-kidnap/

Thank you! They just couldn't decide who was Jodie and who was Joleon in the first article.

[sniper]

The article suggests that the child was abandoned in the mothers village, but the mother may have only been gone to the market, she also may have disappeared to pattaya but we don't know the facts here.

what I do know is that there are serious issues with child safety in Thailand with all kinds of dangers like roads electricity boiling water medicines unsafe condo balcony railings, and a willingness to leave children in the care of male relatives, an abuse risk, there is so little awareness around child safety.

i would just slip across an unguarded  border region into cambodia or malaysia 

[Rc2702]

6 minutes ago, robblok said:

There are others too here who detract from the actual story that is what happens on a forum. The plight of those 2 men is of their own making. Its real sad they get punished for doing the right thing, however committing a crime to right an other crime is not the right way to go. 

 

He would have either had to pay-off the mom (rewarding a crime) but avoiding this what has happened now or he had to go through the Thai justice system or wait for the UK justice system do its work. He did not like the system and tried to do it his own way and now he and the other guy are facing the consequences of this. Its sad but in hindsight it might have been better do things a different way. 

The issue I have with this story is the charity who helped him. The guy from the charity faced a similar plight took a completely different route and yet he has aided this guy and both have been arrested. Makes no sense why he would have supported this and he's now in prison and he has his own thai son at home in the UK  (presumably) 

[robblok]

1 minute ago, Rc2702 said:

The issue I have with this story is the charity who helped him. The guy from the charity faced a similar plight took a completely different route and yet he has aided this guy and both have been arrested. Makes no sense why he would have supported this and he's now in prison and he has his own thai son at home in the UK  (presumably) 

I have no idea either.. but he must have known this was the wrong way to go. I can accept the other guy going wrong tut the guy from the charity was experienced. 

[AGareth2]

37 minutes ago, robblok said:

I just don't like people bashing Thais all the time and tarring them with the same brush. I know its bad to have such enlightened views here on Thaivisa. We should all feel that we are way above Thais and our white skin makes us superior. 

gosh I thought you were orange!

[JLCrab]

4 minutes ago, robblok said:

I have no idea either.. but he must have known this was the wrong way to go. I can accept the other guy going wrong tut the guy from the charity was experienced. 

Just a guess but maybe the Thai authorities were already on the lookout for Mr. Felton.

[robblok]

1 minute ago, JLCrab said:

Just a guess but maybe the Thai authorities were already on the lookout for Mr. Felton.

You mean that after his first stunt he was flagged and the other guy with his son were just unlucky. It is a possibility for sure. 

[Rc2702]

2 minutes ago, JLCrab said:

Just a guess but maybe the Thai authorities were already on the lookout for Mr. Felton.

Apparently there is a film in the making of this Felton chap so if he knew it was the wrong way to go I'm wondering why he chose to support this route.

[tukkytuktuk]

 

[Familyonthemove]

Sounds like the Thai airport authorities were more effective than the UK ones?  I wonder if they reported the son as abducted when the mother left the UK home?

[JLCrab]

13 minutes ago, Rc2702 said:

Apparently there is a film in the making of this Felton chap so if he knew it was the wrong way to go I'm wondering why he chose to support this route.

The article posted on here about a film-in-the-works was from 2012 and it is possible that Mr. Felton had carried out other rescues than just his own and the current one.

.. and the YouTube above is also from 2012.

Edited February 25, 2018 by JLCrab

[Rc2702]

6 minutes ago, JLCrab said:

The article posted on here about a film-in-the-works was from 2012 and it is possible that Mr. Felton had carried out other rescues than just his own and the current one.

.. and the YouTube above is also from 2012.

If he had carried out other rescues in Thailand and chaperoned them I think his name would have popped up already. Scripts/films take a long time to produce. He seems to have chosen a path he almost certainly knew would end up with the wrong outcome. 

[JLCrab]

11 minutes ago, Rc2702 said:

If he had carried out other rescues in Thailand and chaperoned them I think his name would have popped up already. Scripts/films take a long time to produce. He seems to have chosen a path he almost certainly knew would end up with the wrong outcome. 

I have no idea but now the opening scene of the movie can show him sitting in a Thai jail SakNak or somewhere.

[Henrik Andersen]

Just another Thai lady there not want A better life for her baby but surely she want money I wish you the best of luck and hope your son can be with you in future 

[BEVUP]

36 minutes ago, Rc2702 said:

If he had carried out other rescues in Thailand and chaperoned them I think his name would have popped up already. Scripts/films take a long time to produce. He seems to have chosen a path he almost certainly knew would end up with the wrong outcome. 

Most probably thought they could just walk in/out with that British court order, since the son is a Brit

 

so he entered the house to get the passport

 

Wouldn't he had to have both as mother may have brought him back on the Thai one meaning he would no doubt leave on it 

Let alone wife filing a police complaint the above may have got him unstuck as well

 

& would enter UK on the British one

[amykat]

Check this out.  It doesn't sound good and it specifically seems to me to go against basic Hague Convention rules.   I am no expert but from quick reading I believe the basis of that is that the child should be returned asap to his country of habitual residence and for court proceedings to continue there if needed.  In some cases that may not be an easy question but in this case it would be, however look how much wiggle room Thailand gives the "kidnapper-parent" going so far as to say "if they have been here one year and have settled into a new environment" maybe it is their best interest to stay?  And this article seems to disagree with the convention and say that if the parent who took the child has any kind of custody rights, even visitation rights, when they came to Thailand with the child, Thai courts MAY decide not to give back the child to the left-behind parent ...if I am reading that correctly.  What is that saying? It is okay for Thai parents to kidnap to Thailand in almost every case, but don't kidnap from Thailand, is that not true?  We might give you the kid back, if we feel like it???

 

This is a very reputable law firm.

 

 

 

http://www.tilleke.com/resources/thailand-child-abduction-act-legal-recourse-parents

[gbswales]

I get rather fed up of reading about the "rights" of parents - the person whose rights should be paramount is the child's and in the UK (despite what people claim) the rights of the child outweigh the rights of any other party.  UK Family courts generally rule in favour of whatever is in the child's best interests - this is done after assessments have been made by qualified professionals.  I am not saying they get it right 100% of the time but it is the principle of discounting the parents interest in favour of the child that is the important issue.  Children are easily manipulated by either of loving parents but slow calm discussion with professionals trained in dealing with young people will usually bring out their real feelings.  I am not confident at all that this would be the approach in Thailand, or many other countries, where the rights of the child are not treated as the prime consideration.  

 

I know that educationally and future prospects wise the child would undoubtedly be better off in the UK but would not expect a Thai court to think that way.  The thing that should carry more weight is that the child was born in the UK and had never lived in Thailand.  I think that our own government should act quickly in cases like this to ensure that a child is returned so that their future can be dealt with by the courts in the land they were born in - however that is I fear wishful thinking.

 

This is a sad case all round and one I suspect can never have an ending which does not cause somebody pain - just important to make sure the child is not the one in pain.

[Hilux]

Fella never a truer word said...

I feel for this guy,I was a member of fathers for justice when it started,I'm in a similar situation again,with a young son.....

lets help this fella,I have donated to his page and I'm willing to go visit him 

[tropo]

2 hours ago, robblok said:

2 hours ago, Acemaker said:

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.   

I just don't like people bashing Thais all the time and tarring them with the same brush. I know its bad to have such enlightened views here on Thaivisa. We should all feel that we are way above Thais and our white skin makes us superior. 

I think if you were honest that's what you think anyway (that you're superior). You do a good PC job on here though, I'll give you that. 

Edited February 25, 2018 by tropo

[wabothai]

6 hours ago, robblok said:

I guess your one of those people i described then. The moment you take your personal experience and project them on all Thai woman.. your totally wrong IMHO. That is like blaming all Brits if one beats me up. If there is any hatred it would be for that one person.. not all of a sudden for all Brits. 

I am sure all people here are quite aware of this issue and still have hatred or mistrust. Come on man.

[cyberfarang]

4 hours ago, evadgib said:

.....plus The Dog, The Cat and the Ferrets 

If I hadn't experienced it (secretive, biased and anything but gender neutral UK family courts) I would never have believed it. It's only a matter of time before a (now adult) child takes HMG to the cleaners for allowing parents with care (mothers) to exclude non resident parents (fathers) from their lives, breaching their right to family life and constituting child abuse under the childrens act 1989.

 

Rant over 

I also would never had believed this unless it had happened to me personally. My first English wife had an affair, unbeknown to me at the time, filed for divorce and received legal aid to help turf me out of the family home after she left with our kids.

 

Once the court issued an order that I had to leave the home my then wife was awarded full custody of our dog and cat and even my pet hamster. The few items I did manage to take with me the court issued an order that I had to return them within 5 days after she moved back into the home with the new love of her life and our kids. I was left literally with only the clothes on my back. 

 

Eventually after a long court battle the court awarded me visiting rights for the kids for a few hours on Sundays. Each time I went to collect my children, my wife had her parents and 2 brothers on the scene who would intimidate and shout verbal abuse at me, that after a time was so distressful I was not able to pick up my kids. Went to court again and then my ex-wife moved without giving me a forwarding address. She sent me to hell, I was left financially broke and emotionally broken and after 3 more years of court battles, as a father the struggle to play a major role in the lives of my children hardly improved.

 

 

Edited February 25, 2018 by cyberfarang

[tropo]

17 minutes ago, wabothai said:

6 hours ago, robblok said:

I guess your one of those people i described then. The moment you take your personal experience and project them on all Thai woman.. your totally wrong IMHO. That is like blaming all Brits if one beats me up. If there is any hatred it would be for that one person.. not all of a sudden for all Brits. 

I am sure all people here are quite aware of this issue and still have hatred or mistrust. Come on man.

I have been on the receiving end of Thai hatred, and it's not just one person. They gang up. Obviously, they stick up for one another. The fury is intense, even terrifying to behold. The only mistake I made was standing up for my rights in the face of abuse. My sin was being non-Thai and living in Thailand. I was very lucky to escape with my life. I tried to sort it out using their legal system, but it's hard to win. Even the lawyers ripped me off. A senior judge told me in private (met him at the mall) not to trust lawyers. Where do you go from that? Two Thai women attacked my non-Thai wife inside the police station. No one lifted a finger to assist.

Edited February 25, 2018 by tropo