German Man Charged With Theft After Taking Russian Woman’s Sunglasses

[webfact]

The German tourist picking the Russian woman’s sunglasses. Photo: Sanook.com

 

by TNR Staff

A GERMAN man holidaying on Koh Phangan was arrested Saturday (Feb. 11) at a resort he is staying in after having picked up a pair of sunglasses belonging to a Russian woman on Thursday (Feb. 9), Sanook.com said.

 

Pol. Col. Suparerk Phankosol, Surat Thani province’s immigration superintendent, together with Tourist and Koh Phangan police arrested the 31-year-old German man, only identified as Mr. Marcel, after finding the MCQ brand sunglasses in a white satchel placed on a bed in his room.

 

This action was taken after an unidentified Russian woman tourist informed police that she had lost her MCQ sunglasses worth US$800 (approximately 27,000 baht) while getting her visa extended at the Immigration Office on Thursday.

 

Full story: https://thainewsroom.com/2023/02/11/german-man-charged-with-theft-after-taking-russian-womans-sunglasses/

 

The Russian woman’s sunglasses found in the German tourist’s room and given back to her. Photo: Sanook.com

 

-- © Copyright  THAI NEWSROOM 2023-02-13

 

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[spidermike007]

The article states she them behind and he took them. Not quite the same as stealing them from her person, or her room. He could have given them to someone in the office. That would have been the civilized approach. But Samui immigration has a reputation. So, would they have returned them to the rightful owner? 

 

An arrest in this case seems extreme. It appears that the campaign to alienate tourists and decimate the tourism restart continues in earnest. This kind of knee jerk action puts people off. They just can't get it right, can they? 

[Mac Mickmanus]

They could do with an arrow on the table to point out where the sun glasses are .

  How can sunglasses cost 27 000 Baht ?

Like, its a small piece of  plastic 

[OneMoreFarang]

I am sure she can buy sunglasses which look just like that for 100B or 200B somewhere on a tourist street.

 

 

[TheFishman1]

Maybe he saw them and thought somebody forgot them and was gonna go the next day to the police station and turn them in ha TIT

[Thomas KH]

The over-sensationalizing of such a trivial incident over a trivial item is bizarre and disproportionate. 

 

Certain acts of negligence deserve to be categorized as offences too which means she deserves a fair share of finger pointing.  

 

 

[jacko45k]

36 minutes ago, Thomas KH said:

The over-sensationalizing of such a trivial incident over a trivial item is bizarre and disproportionate. 

 

Certain acts of negligence deserve to be categorized as offences too which means she deserves a fair share of finger pointing.  

 

 

Not much happening in Koh Phangan these days, and their few police need their 'attaboys' on the rare occasions of effort with success. 

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

The article states she them behind and he took them. Not quite the same as stealing them from her person, or her room. He could have given them to someone in the office. That would have been the civilized approach. But Samui immigration has a reputation. So, would they have returned them to the rightful owner? 

 

An arrest in this case seems extreme. It appears that the campaign to alienate tourists and decimate the tourism restart continues in earnest. This kind of knee jerk action puts people off. They just can't get it right, can they? 

A tad extreme and stupid on his part.

But as she made a police report I guess they felt they had to do something, as he had not made any attempt to report them as being found.

[metisdead]

Off topic posts trolling about bar girls have been removed.

[Olmate]

10 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

A tad extreme and stupid on his part.

But as she made a police report I guess they felt they had to do something, as he had not made any attempt to report them as being found.

Exactly..... same police bashing as expected! 

[Asquith Production]

5 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

They could do with an arrow on the table to point out where the sun glasses are .

  How can sunglasses cost 27 000 Baht ?

Like, its a small piece of  plastic 

If prescription sunglasses then easily 27000 Baht

[BananaStrong]

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Not quite the same as stealing them from her person

What law is this?  Farang law?  This is Thailand.  Find something of value on the street, take it, that’s theft!!  
 

he committed theft according to Thai laws, the only laws that matter.

 

if in America……………..if in the UK………..  If in Russia……….

 

tell the judge.

[VinnieK]

Pick up a pair of  CHEAP sunglasses ,left in a chair, and it becomes news 

 

 

[Tropposurfer]

Perhaps he saw them and thought to himself; They would look smashing with my favourite little black dress ? ????

[BritManToo]

17 minutes ago, BananaStrong said:

What law is this?  Farang law?  This is Thailand.  Find something of value on the street, take it, that’s theft!!  

The OP says he found them in his bedroom.

The OP photo seems to suggest he found them at immigration.

 

The reporting is so bad I'm confused.

Anyway trivial offense, and excessive police response.

[daveAustin]

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

The article states she them behind and he took them. Not quite the same as stealing them from her person, or her room. He could have given them to someone in the office. That would have been the civilized approach. But Samui immigration has a reputation. So, would they have returned them to the rightful owner? 

 

An arrest in this case seems extreme. It appears that the campaign to alienate tourists and decimate the tourism restart continues in earnest. This kind of knee jerk action puts people off. They just can't get it right, can they? 

I agree, Mike, it's bollockx... he picked them up. Personally think the Russian gal should be arrested for being Russian. ????

[swm59nj]

This type of story would have made an excellent show on Dragnet.  With Sgt.  Joe Friday making the bust and lecturing the perp. 

[LomSak27]

2 hours ago, Thomas KH said:

The over-sensationalizing of such a trivial incident over a trivial item is bizarre and disproportionate. 

Highlighting foreigners stealing is a staple of the Thai press. If only to distract the locals & how much theft goes on in the country, non foreigner generated. 

[AhFarangJa]

I like the way they kept her head out of the photo op, but left her open passport on the desk in full view.............

[phetphet]

I like the way that in that photo, not only is she pointing at a pair of sunglasses, but they have put a red box around them.

Is that to show what they look like? Or to distract us from the fact they have put her passport ID on show? I wonder.

 

As an aside, Alistair McQueen (MCQ)  designer sunglasses can easily cost way over $1000. 

[ignore it]

Now, that how to point!

 

A sure finalist in "Best Pointing" category.

[Xanthe]

OMG, picking up somebody else's sunglasses is theft now in Thailand. Be careful and never pick up anything left on a chair in a room. If you find it on the road, it is ok to pick up and take home. 

[roo860]

5 minutes ago, Xanthe said:

OMG, picking up somebody else's sunglasses is theft now in Thailand. Be careful and never pick up anything left on a chair in a room. If you find it on the road, it is ok to pick up and take home. 

Leave it where it is, if I remember there was a foreign guy in chiang mai found a phone on the footpath and took it back to his room, said he was going to hand it in later, he didn't, charged with theft.

[terryq]

6 minutes ago, Xanthe said:

OMG, picking up somebody else's sunglasses is theft now in Thailand. Be careful and never pick up anything left on a chair in a room. If you find it on the road, it is ok to pick up and take home. 

It's theft in a lot of countries and has been for many years.

 

The specific law is usually called 'theft by finding'

 

[roo860]

10 minutes ago, Xanthe said:

OMG, picking up somebody else's sunglasses is theft now in Thailand. Be careful and never pick up anything left on a chair in a room. If you find it on the road, it is ok to pick up and take home. 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6944559/Traveller-arrested-thrown-hellish-Thai-jail-picking-lost-mobile-phone.html#:~:text=Chris Dodd%2C 29%2C from Poole%2C found the device in,different location with the possession.

[NextG]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

The OP says he found them in his bedroom.

The OP photo seems to suggest he found them at immigration.

 

The reporting is so bad I'm confused.

Anyway trivial offense, and excessive police response.

No, it say the police found them in his bedroom. 

 

 

[ignore it]

WOW 

 

Some cops got the memo on the need for positive stories!

 

But a Pol. Col. superintendent, Tourist and Koh Phangan police plus associated minions seems a bit much.

 

[shackleton]

Don't take what does not belong to you

Bottom line????

no matter how much they cost that's not the point ????

[homeseeker]

According to the link in Thainews room (above) it says:

 

 

"Marcel admitted that he too had gone to get his visa extended that day and upon seeing the sunglasses on the chair and not knowing who it belonged to, pocketed it and left.

He has pleaded guilty to a charge of theft in a government office and has been taken to Koh Phangan police station for further legal action."

 

In otherwards he says he did not know to whom the sunglasses belonged to.

So where is the dishonesty?

Plausible in his mind he believed that he was entitled to take the sunglasses. Yet he pleaded guilty to the charge.

As the event happened in a government office I not sure if that is relevant.

 

And there is a photo of him above surrounded by 5 officials I assume the police.

????

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[d4dang]

38 minutes ago, AhFarangJa said:

I like the way they kept her head out of the photo op, but left her open passport on the desk in full view.............

some guys will be looking for her....they know what she looks like and has money...stay tuned for a new romance scam