Gulf War veteran, 55, was killed by a single punch from a bouncer in Thailand who claimed he tried to leave go-go bar without paying his bill

[BenBen23]

"But he was found not guilty after claiming self-defence - claiming Mike had attempted to leave the Mandarin Agogo bar without paying his bill."

 

The video makes it exceedingly clear it was not self defense! The clear message here is that if a foreigner offends you in any way you can kill him and get away with it. 

Edited November 2, 2019 by Rimmer
Font size corrected, please use default fonts.

[Just Weird]

14 hours ago, richsilver said:

1. This incident happened 17 months ago.  Why is it being posted now?  2.  He could not have called 911 as this does not work in Thailand.

1. the Coroner's verdict has just been announced.

2. 911 does work in Thailand.

[Just Weird]

14 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

And why would a Brit call 911 (the American number), If any number, a Brit would call 999.

Because he may have known that it could be used, whilst "999" cannot in Thailand?

[Steverino999]

This is very rare in Thailand. There must have been quite an argument going on inside before this went down. But the assailant is anything but innocent. Not a good look for the Thailand tourist industry. So sad. Condolences for his family. 

[Just Weird]

12 hours ago, BestB said:

It’s called video on fast forward ????

The video is not playing on fast forward.   

[Destiny1990]

1 hour ago, Just Weird said:

Not if the trial is held and the verdict announced almost a year before the death!

If u was trading places with the victim than perhaps ur family would understand what u don’t seem to understand.

[donnacha]

I enjoy many different forums, and I certainly get a lot of interesting insights from Thai Visa, but when I see certain members spewing out endless posts, all attacking what other members have written, it makes me wonder what sort of person that member could be. Naming no names, of course.

I mean, does this guy ever walk around in the real world?

Does he look normal or is it visibly apparent that he is fizzing with insanity?

Does he have any normal human relationships?

Is there a long-suffering wife in the background whose only relief in life is the long hours he spends fighting online every day?

When he goes to a bar or cafe, do other expats actively avoid him? Does he ever get invited to parties?

As a simple matter of forum health, members like this are bad news even if they are not trolling in an immediately obvious way. Receiving an alert that someone truly clueless has quoted your post, and completely misinterpreted what you were saying, is disheartening. It helps, of course, when you see that he has attacked dozens of other completely normal posts in the same thread, but the constant presence of guys like this certainly makes one less motivated to bother posting in the first place.

 

[Mark mark]

Didn't pay his Bar Bill ? That is <deleted> I reckon, like they just Knocked him down, and left him there ... TIT I think, ... If he did not pay his bar bill, I reckon that they would not have given up that easily ! ... Like MIM (Money is Money) ... I reckon that they would have ...  1, been more negotiable to get him back in there (Having negotiated with the Good Thais in an Inebriated state my self) ....  and to get him to Pay ! .... and well ....   2. Really,... Unfortunately This is just a Dispute I think. !!!!

 

....  Maybe easier to just Wack them in the Gulf War ? ,,, Right ? .... He does swing the first Punch, ... but just misses ! ... He did not Punch the Air ... He aimed it at them, but well ? They were probably sober and he was not. .... ...  They knocked him down, .... and they then just left him !!! ... 

 

Like in the very Few occasions I have been standing next door to situations like this ("Common, it is Just you and me against them" ??? ...  With my reply, "Woahhh You started this ! (You American !) and I am not getting involved" ! ... ...  But I did to save him, from the Kicking, in the end, ... when they had knocked him down, .... and were just starting to do it, .... But I saw that they had won, ... and that I could jump in then and stop them going on, .... With out getting hit my self, like if I had "Stood with him like a Good Marine <deleted>, ... we both just would have been half Killed. ... ... Hence I succeed in it ... ??? Right ???   ..... They called me a wimp, and put their watches and Jewelry back on, and just dissapeared. .... Mission successful right ? ???

 

Yes, a Total success for me ! ???   ... But not him ! ... He had a Broken Jaw, and was so drunk he just tried to get up, ... and started to go after them ..... so I had to sit on him !!! ... While I called his friend on my phone, .... to come down and save him !!! ??????? ) .... ....

 

Yes, ....  they usually give the Victim / Adversary, a bit of a kicking as well !!! ... But well, in this case they do not. !!!   ... They were Guilty for sure ! ...   But well, it probably was as much bad Luck for the vet as any thing. .... and he DID probably Start it I think ? ... Just reading the account, and seeing the Video. ...  Like TIT ! ...  THEY all Negotiate !!! .... That is what it is all about !!! .... 

 

 

Edited November 1, 2019 by Mark mark
Spelling as usual ...

[djuiiy]

Quote

" This story, including the shameful Thai court verdict, will run in almost every American newspaper and news channel, ten of millions of people will hear about this. These incidents are expensive for Thailand."

potentially yes, but put in the context of the roaring year-on-year explosive growth of the thai tourism industry, and also that there's not really any better monger destinations that are both safe and cheap, its a drop of cold water on an inferno. It's not going to matter unless the number of incidents drastically increase. i.e. doing nothing about it this time is a viable option.

[Mark mark]

37 minutes ago, djuiiy said:

potentially yes, but put in the context of the roaring year-on-year explosive growth of the thai tourism industry, and also that there's not really any better monger destinations that are both safe and cheap, its a drop of cold water on an inferno. It's not going to matter unless the number of incidents drastically increase. i.e. doing nothing about it this time is a viable option.

Probably Minusculem, when compared with what is actually happening back in America!!!

[Mark mark]

3 hours ago, BenBen23 said:

"But he was found not guilty after claiming self-defence - claiming Mike had attempted to leave the Mandarin Agogo bar without paying his bill."

 

The video makes it exceedingly clear it was not self defense! The clear message here is that if a foreigner offends you in any way you can kill him and get away with it. 

Rubish, he swings the first Punch, and they only one back ... It was just Bad Luck. .....   Go to Bars and Mouth off ... even if you are a Vet ! and watch out !!! ???

[Mark mark]

On 10/31/2019 at 8:44 PM, Yinn said:

He throws a punch to the air as he is approached by two Thai men - and is then hit to the floor with one horror punch.

 

 

... Yes ! He was aiming the Punch at them !!! ... But he missed ! ? ...Too many Bevvies !

[Mark mark]

He has a pretty nice Looking wife ! and she is Loyal also. I wonder how she felt about him just "Dropping in to a Go Go bar on his way Home" ? ....

 

I wonder if the dispute was with the Bars Woman, before he tried to leave ... (Like quite Likely Right ?)  and well, didn't quite make it ? .....  Is this a bar that the Girls talk to you ? and then Bill you for it ? .... 

 

This is probably starting to get to the real truth I think ??? ... Maybe they all just talked to him and then put Ladies drinks on his Bill ? ...

 

...  RIP all the same !!! ...

 

... For Years I went to Soi Cowboy, and NEVER had any Trouble but well, ... a few years ago now, and I do not go there any more .... but Yes I took friends there and there was a REAL ...DELIBERATE rip off, ...  of one of my Friends, who was Wilde and not taking enough notice of his Bills !!! ... and well they did not negotiate or admit it ... they just Screwed him !!! As yes, he was NOT being attentive enough !!! .... 

 

So well, yes ! It does happen. ... still I 1. I watch my Bills and 2. I will negotiate ! ? ... ??? ... Still if you do not watch it ... Then the Negotiation ability ... is Lost .... Right ? ... 

Edited November 1, 2019 by Mark mark

[CG1 Blue]

13 hours ago, rossco1 said:

excuse me but one punch killed a man but only grieves Bodley  harm no its Called Murder 

How can it be murder? Even if it was the punch that killed him (which is far from clear), you can't charge someone for murder for a punch. 

It's terribly sad when the receiver of a punch is unlucky enough to die. But it does appear to be incredibly bad luck that he died. 

 

We can probably assume this poor guy was a fighter rather than a pacifier (ex army, wrote a book about setting up your own private armed security company in a hostile environment, and threw the first punch). Those types are more likely to get into a fight. Personally I steer clear of trouble, even when drunk - especially in Thailand. 

 

Who knows what happened as he left the bar.  He could have pushed or punched his way out of the doors.  Or he might have just paid what he thought was a fair amount for the bill and left quietly. We'll probably never know. 

 

Either way it's a tragic way to die, and he certainly didn't deserve it. That doesn't mean we should accuse the puncher of murder though. 

[FritsSikkink]

6 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

You are missing one important element. While it is true that the Chinese spend more on average, Thailand cannot and does not attract the upper end of that spectrum. While they are in Paris, Singapore and London they spend alot. The vast majority who visit Thailand come on $400 tours. They are Cheap Charlie's. 

There are very rich Chinese tourists, that you don't see them is another thing.

[yogi100]

16 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

Where is your proof the bouncer was drugged up? You can clearly see from the missed punch of the westerner he was drunk like a skunk.

 

Where is your proof the bouncer was not drugged up? Drugs such as cocaine and steroids can often make a user become violent and aggressive.

 

[IslandLover]

On ‎10‎/‎31‎/‎2019 at 5:05 PM, marcus111 said:

Very sorry to his family for what has happened however we do not know all the facts.

Alcohol i suggest was a major factor as regards what happened, we will find out in due course.

But my gripe is why do the press always seem to headline something like this as "GULF WAR VETERAN".

We do not know what the man did as regards in the military.

He might have been a pencil pusher...A cook...A store manager.

Why the tag "GULF WAR VETERAN".

Not everyone is a hero as is suggested from these press posts.

We do not know what the man did as regards in the military.

He might have been a pencil pusher...A cook...A store manager.

 

The man was an army OFFICER who had fought in the Gulf War (hence the term GULF WAR VETERAN).  Try reading the article.

 

Mike, of Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan, graduated as an officer in the Army in 1984 and served in the first Gulf War.

Edited November 2, 2019 by IslandLover

[BestB]

2 hours ago, yogi100 said:

 

Where is your proof the bouncer was not drugged up? Drugs such as cocaine and steroids can often make a user become violent and aggressive.

 

Yeah security  salary in Thailand is so high that every doorman can afford cocaine and steroids are so fake that after years of using not an inch of a muscle gets bigger ????

do you know what a gram of cocaine cost? 
 

do you know the purpose of steroids?

[IslandLover]

On ‎10‎/‎31‎/‎2019 at 5:07 PM, kingofthemountain said:

Yep

i noticed it in my post n 37

''

The presentation of this ''news'' is an asolute non sense and a shame for the journalism.

The facts are old from more one year (May 2018) the gogo Mandarin is close since long time now, the bouncer has been tried and relaxed in a self defense case, the victim died 10 months later in England and so on''

 

i don't even know why it's presented like the new of the day

 

It is a report of the Inquest in the U.K. into the man's death.  That's why it's in the news now.  Inquests are held several months (and in some cases years) after a person's death.

[IslandLover]

2 hours ago, yogi100 said:

 

Where is your proof the bouncer was not drugged up? Drugs such as cocaine and steroids can often make a user become violent and aggressive.

 

Ya ba will do.

[robblok]

10 hours ago, ThailandGuy said:

You do NOT know that. You only see the video from this webcam ! What happend outside its view nobody knows. Nowing the Thai they will just say nothing happened. But i bet they pushed him around. We will never know unless there is a video of somebody else phone or streetcam !

all of a sudden making things up, we can only judge what we can see.

[robblok]

3 hours ago, yogi100 said:

 

Where is your proof the bouncer was not drugged up? Drugs such as cocaine and steroids can often make a user become violent and aggressive.

 

Roid rage is a myth (alcohol makes people far more aggressive then steroids)  and the Thais did not look like muscle heads. Please if you don't know something its better not to display your ignorance. Cocaine you might be right I have no clue never used it. 

Edited November 2, 2019 by robblok

[Accidental Tourist]

This shows what Thailand is a country of thugs and unlawful to the bring when it comes to "protect" Thai citizen. I have seen this in my 24 years in Thailand many times again and again. DOUBLE STANDARDS when is come to justice....

[Rimmer]

Some off topic also speculative posts and replies have been removed

[FritsSikkink]

6 hours ago, yogi100 said:

 

Where is your proof the bouncer was not drugged up? Drugs such as cocaine and steroids can often make a user become violent and aggressive.

 

Their is proof the tourist was drunk, missed hay maker. The guys who makes the wild accusation based on nothing needs to proof that his statement is true.

[pattayadgw]

Just another 'sad' day in the family friendly Pattaya... may you R.I.P. Mike... as for the assailant... the tough bouncer.... what goes around comes around ole boy!!! 

[FarFlungFalang]

1 minute ago, pattayadgw said:

as for the assailant... the tough bouncer.... what goes around comes around ole boy!!! 

So is that why the victim of this tragedy got what happened to him?Was the "tough bouncer" Mike's karma?

[Briggsy]

On 11/1/2019 at 2:59 AM, yogi100 said:

He receives one blow to the head, what with we can't see but it was a strange kind of 'punch'. It incapacitates him and he immediately goes down. And there he stays, apparently unconscious.

Yeah, it looked odd to me too. (the angle of the hand and the way it was thrown). I have seen sovereign rings on "bouncers" here routinely. Could be some kind of knuckleduster.

[tlandtday]

4 hours ago, robblok said:

Roid rage is a myth (alcohol makes people far more aggressive then steroids)  and the Thais did not look like muscle heads. Please if you don't know something its better not to display your ignorance. Cocaine you might be right I have no clue never used it. 

roid rage is not a myth... 

[dabhand]

18 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

Yeah, it looked odd to me too. (the angle of the hand and the way it was thrown). I have seen sovereign rings on "bouncers" here routinely. Could be some kind of knuckleduster.

Comments from both UK medical experts and coroner made no mention of anything other than the injury being related to a punch. If such instruments of violence, as noted in your post, had been used I would expect there to have been clear evidence of that from the injury sustained and would have been mentioned in the coroner proceedings. and, if so, highlighted in the press reports.