Exclusive: 86 year old British expat left "starving and mistreated" by Thai family on his way home to UK

 

 

The family of an 86 year old British man rescued from a squalid room earlier in the week claim he was left starving and mistreated by a Thai family after he moved to Thailand around seven years ago.

 

But now they hope his ordeal is finally over and that he will soon be reunited with loved ones in the UK after a crowd fund was set up.

 

Now the man at the center of the drama has told Thaivisa that his days of being with Thai women are over. He still loves Thailand and wants to come back - but only for his dog he looks set to leave behind.

 

British expat Declan James Theodore told Thaivisa earlier in the week that he had rescued Ron from a Thai family in Samut Sakhon after he moved there from Udon. 

 

It was claimed that his pension money was being siphoned off and he was living on a makeshift bed made from an old blanket and pallets in an upstairs room.

 

Declan had responded to an urgent request for help from his family on an expat forum.

 

He met no resistance from the family and the police did not get involved and Ron was taken to recover in a resort south of Hua Hin while thousands of pounds was sought for his expatriation. 

 

Now in an exclusive interview Ron's daughter Marion Phillips has spoken about her father.

 

She said: "He is coming home Sunday, fingers crossed if flights are not cancelled. I can't thank Declan enough - he's rescued my dad and put him in a safe place and helped him get his strength back".

 

Mrs Phillips said that her father went to Thailand six or seven years ago after his partner had died.

 

He was happy at first with a Thai woman but after they parted and he struck up a relationship with another Thai woman things soon turned ugly.

 

"He got friendly with another Thai lady and was happy living in Udon but she wanted him to move about a year ago and that is when things went very wrong for my dad," Mrs Phillips told our reporter by Messenger.

 

"He wasn't cared for very well and was always starving. He would give her his bank card to get food but he never had enough food or water.

 

"He was being very mistreated and lost so much weight. I don't really know the Thai woman but he never married".

 

Elsewhere on Facebook a post by Miriam Bryer who called Ron's rescuer a "superhero in disguise" said she heard by chance that Ron was related to a friend.

 

She took her dog to visit him, believed to be at a resort where he is staying, to provide moral support and "dog cuddles".

 

Declan earlier in the week said that he had raised more than £1000 of a £2000 target to help the old pensioner.

 

While providing Thaivisa with an update on events, it emerged that Declan was in the car with the man at the center of the drama.

 

Ron said in a clear voice: "I am very relieved and happy to be going home. 

 

"I'm still crying," said the war veteran and former Brighton cabbie who is suffering from a serious spinal complaint.

 

"I still love Thailand and I want to come back - I have a dog here that I love very much.

 

"But I am not going to get involved with any Thai women again".

 

Declan said that a once a week EVA flight had been booked and medical certificates were being obtained to allow Ron to fly.

 

He would be met by family in England. The family did not want the police in Thailand to get involved, he said.

 

He said he was going to close down the crowdfunding account and said he didn't know how much was in it.
 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-05-24

 

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5 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Exclusive: 86 year old British expat left "starving and mistreated" by Thai family on his way home to UK

both a sad and happy story

Must be those caring Thais we read so much about.

11 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

The family of an 86 year old British man rescued from a squalid room earlier in the week claim he was left starving and mistreated by a Thai family after he moved to Thailand around seven years ago.

 

But now they hope his ordeal is finally over and that he will soon be reunited with loved ones in the UK after a crowd fund was set up.

 

Now the man at the center of the drama has told Thaivisa that his days of being with Thai women are over. He still loves Thailand and wants to come back - but only for his dog he looks set to leave behind.

 

This tells it all. At 79, he cmes to Thailand to find a bride with his meagre pension. Who on earth does that? And I still dont not understand why he loves Thailand. Temples and beaches? Give me a break!

11 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

But I am not going to get involved with any Thai women again".

The real voice of experience!

 

Glad that this man will recover the Smile ????

so he was basically kidnapped and forced to hand over his monthly pension yet still really loves thailand ? 

 

stockholm syndrome

Edited May 24, 20206 yr by mr mr

4 minutes ago, Mulambana said:

This tells it all. At 79, he cmes to Thailand to find a bride with his meagre pension. Who on earth does that? And I still dont not understand why he loves Thailand. Temples and beaches? Give me a break!

 

 

What a pity that he didn't have the foresight to seek out your expert opinion before moving to Thailand.

5 minutes ago, Mulambana said:

This tells it all. At 79, he cmes to Thailand to find a bride with his meagre pension. Who on earth does that? And I still dont not understand why he loves Thailand. Temples and beaches? Give me a break!

Obviously he loves the lifestyle, the slow pace, the weather, his dog, what else is there to know. Don't judge someone unless you walk a mile in their shoes first.  Everyone is different and has a belief system as well as there own values.  Do not paint everyone with the same brush you paint yourself with.  Rushing to judgment is easy to do, but it is a fools errand.....enjoy your life wherever you may be, but never try to put your values onto someone else...There's your break

Just wondering how many more are there who has no voice and no means to get themselves heard and noticed, only after they died perhaps...

25 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

"But I am not going to get involved with any Thai women again".

You are 86 years old, you fool. 

 

Why on earth would you try to have a relationship at this age in a foreign culture? 

 

Ever consider that they might just be after your money? 

7 minutes ago, Mulambana said:

This tells it all. At 79, he cmes to Thailand to find a bride with his meagre pension. Who on earth does that? And I still dont not understand why he loves Thailand. Temples and beaches? Give me a break!

To say the Thais robbed him is is wrong. His stupidity did it. A previous article said he was 83, so things don't add up.

I think that this whole story is made up at the expense of the Thais and Brits. Someone wants to rip off kind hearted people with a "go Fund Me" scam.

22 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

It was claimed that his pension money was being siphoned off and he was living on a makeshift bed made from an old blanket and pallets in an upstairs room.

If he can make it upstairs to a bed, I would think he could make it to a store and get his own food and drink.  When I approach that age, I plan to be walking distance from a bank, a hospital, a market, and a dentist.   

Glad he got the help he needed and has family to return to 

29 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

British expat Declan James Theodore told Thaivisa earlier in the week that he had rescued Ron from a Thai family

nice to know there are people like this willing to actually stand up and help.  

Edited May 24, 20206 yr by NCC1701A

1 minute ago, checkered flag said:

To say the Thais robbed him is is wrong. His stupidity did it. A previous article said he was 83, so things don't add up.

I think that this whole story is made up at the expense of the Thais and Brits. Someone wants to rip off kind hearted people with a "go Fund Me" scam.

Probably not stupidity, more likely, a lack of judgement, & sweet words that he needed to hear.

2 minutes ago, checkered flag said:

To say the Thais robbed him is is wrong. His stupidity did it. A previous article said he was 83, so things don't add up.

I think that this whole story is made up at the expense of the Thais and Brits. Someone wants to rip off kind hearted people with a "go Fund Me" scam.

 

 

Well done sleuth, you have cracked it.

 

 

You have missed your vocation - you should be in criminal intelligence rather than jerking off on an internet forum.

25 minutes ago, Malawi said:

Must be those caring Thais we read so much about.

Probably the sort that go to Pattaya. 70 year old men don't end up in Sakon Nakon with nice ladies. 

I wonder if the lady was younger than him. 

Don't judge a nation on its prostitutes' families. 

Great respect to those that made his return to the UK possible.

Everyone's story is different so its inaccurate to generalise anything here. It does, however, seem he made his own misery a reality. Surprised his family in the uk let him do it in the first place.

26 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Ever consider that they might just be after your money?

might ? 

 

hahaha post of the day. you kidder you.

Poor old chap, but there will be plenty like him later with today's work shy generation tapping away at keyboards for a crust.

44 minutes ago, Skallywag said:

When I approach that age, I plan to be walking distance from a bank, a hospital, a market, and a dentist.   

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry"

51 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

55 minutes ago, checkered flag said:

To say the Thais robbed him is is wrong. His stupidity did it. A previous article said he was 83, so things don't add up.

I think that this whole story is made up at the expense of the Thais and Brits. Someone wants to rip off kind hearted people with a "go Fund Me" scam.

 

 

Well done sleuth, you have cracked it.

 

 

You have missed your vocation - you should be in criminal intelligence rather than jerking off on an internet forum.

Sorry, I don't see much evidence of @checkered flag's intelligence.

1 hour ago, Malawi said:

Must be those caring Thais we read so much about.

No, not at all. This was bad people, that actually exist in all countries. Very low to take that out on the rest of the Thais.

 

Very happy to hear he is getting home, and has been cared for. Also a big hand to Declan. That´s a really good guy.

Edited May 24, 20206 yr by Matzzon

1 hour ago, faraday said:

Probably not stupidity, more likely, a lack of judgement, & sweet words that he needed to hear.

They are the same thing in this case, with the same result.

How self-deluded do you have to be to believe that a woman from a different culture will have genuine feelings for a 79 year old?

 

Kinda reminds me of that Ricky Gervais joke he told at the Golden Globes about the 24 year old bride of Hugh Hefner who was 84 years old at the time. The bride was angry because Hugh Hefner had lied to her about his age. She thought he was 94 years old, not 84 years old.

Edited May 24, 20206 yr by KarenBravo

55 minutes ago, soihok said:

Great respect to those that made his return to the UK possible.

Everyone's story is different so its inaccurate to generalise anything here. It does, however, seem he made his own misery a reality. Surprised his family in the uk let him do it in the first place.

Glad to see you are on the same page as me, yes kudos to Declan "the hero" for going to the rescue and setting up the GoFundme page, with good hearted people helping out with donations to get this adventurous Brit into decent temporary accommodation and food until he back to the UK where he belongs.

 

I have an 85 year old mum in an aged care facility back home, where sadly she belongs and is content, although my plans for years before coming here to retire in 2015 was to bring her here with us, but the reality is, she would have been a burden, or more likely we would have been a burden on her, I say that with guilt, took me awhile to circum to the reality, even as the doctor said, it's a no brainer, she needs special care.

 

When people get to these ages, they are set in their ways and need a sturdy hand to get them to, let's say comply, they need care/support and in most cases, special care by people trained to provide that care and some entertainment, we cannot allow them to drive and be independent for their own good, I saw it first hand with mum going down hill living on her own, stubborn, didn't want to come with us and didn't want to stop driving, even when she had fainting spells when going for a walk.

 

I would rather my mum be with us, but with all of her ailments she is better off where she is, I see the care she gets, the calls/emails I get from the staff with updates, like I said, she is content, just taking her out by the bay for a couple of hours for lunch one day when we were there last year with our family was a "major" effort, the complaints were never ending, the chicken wasn't salty enough, I want some Coke, why are those people with hijabs doing on our beaches, why don't they go back to their countries, ah yes, we won't mention the swearing coming out from her mouth, never heard of before.....lol

 

The facility takes 85% of her pension, she has a room for herself and trained nurses/staff on hand, doctors visits, hairdresser, medications, daily injections for diabetes, annual eye tests, excursions, etc, etc, etc, she only has two complains, the first is the boring food as she is used to a European cuisine, e.g. she gets good old Ozzie tucker served to her with those yukkie green peas that she can't get onto the fork as she says, they go on the floor and I can't pick them up.....lol, and the second, all the people living in the facility are made, but as I said to her, mum, you fit right in, fortunately for me she is pretty deaf, and I did check under her pillow to make sure she didn't have a pair of scissors, ok ok, I have heard stories, and yes I think she is capable if someone rubs her up the wrong way ????

 

Long of the short, there is no way in hell I would have allowed her to go on an adventure like this bloke did, what was his family thinking or was it there way of letting go ?

 

As for the Thai family who were "allegedly" using his pension to "take care him", well I suppose he is lucky he is still alive, albeit it a little brushed and battered and perhaps malnourished.

 

I will say that Thai's are opportunists, I won't brand them in a bad way as I wasn't there to see the conditions he was living in and what agreement they had in place, if any, let's not forget, there is always two sides to a story, and the elderly do tend to tell a few porkies from my experiences with them, however, I dare say if he is wanting to come back here, he will, but in the afterlife, silly old fool, (I say that with respect). hope he learnt his lesson, as harsh as it would have been on him.

 

I hope his family know what to do with him when he touches down, e.g. if he doesn't need special care at his age, they can take him, or put him into a facility where he can enjoy the remaining years he has left.

 

 It's the survival of the fittest out there/here ????

  

 

Edited May 24, 20206 yr by 4MyEgo

1 hour ago, Mulambana said:

This tells it all. At 79, he cmes to Thailand to find a bride with his meagre pension. Who on earth does that? And I still dont not understand why he loves Thailand. Temples and beaches? Give me a break!

Defending the indefensible and deflecting from the scumbag Thais

Despicable............but expected from you

1 hour ago, hotandsticky said:

 

 

What a pity that he didn't have the foresight to seek out your expert opinion before moving to Thailand.

Not sure anybody want's his opinion

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

Obviously he loves the lifestyle, the slow pace, the weather, his dog, what else is there to know. Don't judge someone unless you walk a mile in their shoes first.  Everyone is different and has a belief system as well as there own values.  Do not paint everyone with the same brush you paint yourself with.  Rushing to judgment is easy to do, but it is a fools errand.....enjoy your life wherever you may be, but never try to put your values onto someone else...There's your break

Difficult to part with a pet, some people have are just inherently 'jai dam'

Maybe I missed it, but has there been any update on the Declan guy, as from previous threads it had become clear that he was a very bogus type of person?

1 hour ago, checkered flag said:

To say the Thais robbed him is is wrong. His stupidity did it. A previous article said he was 83, so things don't add up.

I think that this whole story is made up at the expense of the Thais and Brits. Someone wants to rip off kind hearted people with a "go Fund Me" scam.

Another one defending wretched Thai behaviour????

1 minute ago, Susco said:

Maybe I missed it, but has there been any update on the Declan guy, as from previous threads it had become clear that he was a very bogus type of person?

Now that would take the cake !