Danish Expat Risks Prison in Thailand Over Lost Car Incident

[webfact]

Picture courtesy: Ekstrabladet

 

Søren Nyholm Larsen, a 65-year-old Danish man living in Thailand, faces the possibility of spending a year in one of the country's infamous prisons due to an unfortunate series of events beginning in October 2023. It all started with a visit to the PhyaThai hospital in Sriracha for routine medical check-ups related to his heart condition and diabetes. 

 

After his appointment, Søren realised he had forgotten where he parked his car. Despite searching the area thoroughly the next day with the help of a tuk-tuk driver, he failed to locate it and reported the situation to the local police for assistance.

 

Complicating matters, Søren informed his insurance company, suspecting the car might have been stolen. This action would later be twisted against him. Upon revisiting the police with three officers, they strangely directed him far from the suspected parking area, eventually growing agitated and accusing him of lying. Consequently, they charged him with perjury and coercively made him sign documents he scarcely understood.

 

Miraculously, Søren found his car the following day with the assistance of a motorcycle taxi. However, instead of resolving his predicament, this fortunate discovery compounded his woes. The police continued to hound him, even accusing him of planning insurance fraud worth one million baht (about £22,000).

 

Søren Nyholm Larsen with his wife. Private photo via Ekstrabladet

 

Despite clear evidence from the insurance company, Roojai Group, confirming the claim's cancellation after the car was found, the accusations persisted. Søren's initial court proceedings did not favour him. His unsatisfactory legal representation and language barriers worsened his predicament, leading to a conviction and the looming threat of prison.

 

According to Ekstra Bladet's documents, Søren's appeal, spearheaded by a new lawyer from Champ Lawfirm, is currently in process. Until a decision is reached, Søren remains out of prison but under significant stress, facing an uncertain future in the Thai legal system, reported Ekstrabladet. 

 

The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms its involvement but remains tight-lipped due to the private nature of the case. Meanwhile, Søren's ordeal underscores the severe consequences of simple mistakes and cultural misunderstandings in foreign lands.

 

-- 2024-08-24

 

 

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[Gknrd]

I'm 72 and forget where I park all the time. Never been a problem, but I forget. I have gotten to where I take a pic if in a huge lot or in a city I have never been to before.  

[SAFETY FIRST]

45 minutes ago, webfact said:

Søren realised he had forgotten where he parked his car

Parked the motorbike down walking street one night many years ago, forgot where I parked it after drinking a dozen beers. 

 

Had to go back the next day. 

It's not a good feeling. 

 

 

[Ralf001]

Iam a regular visitor to Phyathai in Sriracha.

 

Lad shoulda used the valet parking, its free !

[GypsyT]

Maybe this would help?

 

"AirTag is a super easy way to keep track of your stuff. Attach one to your keys, slip another in your backpack."

 

[ExpatOilWorker]

The police primary role here is not to serve and protect. When in trouble,  they are the last one to contact.

[smedly]

crazy tale indeed, very easy to do this as you get older, the police should be ashamed of themselves, I've a good idea what is going on here as I'm sure many reading this do

[hanbla]

This is harassment, he had been to hospital for God's sake. It's a lot going around in your head then and easy to forget where you parked your car. Sometimes I also forget.

I hope they sort it out for the poor man. The so called law enforcement  are just looking for money 💰 

[Ralf001]

1 hour ago, GypsyT said:

Maybe this would help?

 

"AirTag is a super easy way to keep track of your stuff. Attach one to your keys, slip another in your backpack."

 

 

How would an airtag on his keys help him locate the vehicle ?

[Ralf001]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Consequently, they charged him with perjury 

 

He went to court and lied to the judge ?

[ikke1959]

Strange tory... he is being jailed for something not happened.. he claimed he lost his car but withdrew it so nothing happened.. and why put everybody in jail?? Thailand doesn't know other sentences??

[Jingthing]

If there is a moral to this nightmare, I guess it's not to sign any police document you don't understand. Easier said than done. 

[sqwakvfr]

"misundertanding" one of the overused terms in LOS. 

 

Had several similar incidents I handled in my time as a police officer in CA.  In one of the incidents an old  driver contacts the police and says "can't find my car".  We look(this means checking with tow companies to ensure it was not impounded) and search of the area where the car was parked.  Then the last step would be  to file a police reprot.  The next day the driver drove the "stolen" car to the police station and said he found it.  Simple  process was to just file a supplemental report and remove the vehicle from the stolen vehicle system (SVS).  The driver then called his insurance company and canceled the claim.  Problem solved and everyone was happy and content.  Never hear stories like this about American police, right? Yes, the driver had to sign the Stolen Vehicle System report as well. But in no way would this be "filing a false reprot".  It was just a confused old man. 

 

 

Anyway, no drama and not a big deal.  It seems like an overreaction by the local police.  

[bkk6060]

Does something stink?  He did look for it 3 times; twice by himself and once with the cops and could not find it.

Then, after he is accused of lying the next time he looks he finds it?  Sorry, I forget where I parked also but after looking one or two times I usually find it.  And, before I reported it stolen to my insurance I would have contacted the police you would think he would know the insurance would need a report.  Or, maybe they towed it for some reason or report.  

[Gsxrnz]

Speaking from experience, he probably should have offered a small social club donation or at least a round of coffees to the BIB for their initial assistance, thus raising his social status.

 

Subsequent visits to the cop shop demoted him to the ranks of annoying Falang and therefore a potential source of leveraged revenue. 

 

I'm not saying this is right, but this is Thailand.

[Bert got kinky]

1 hour ago, Ralf001 said:

Iam a regular visitor to Phyathai in Sriracha.

 

Lad shoulda used the valet parking, its free !

 

Great advice, now if Søren is able to locate a time machine, he could go back and do it right this time.

 

[watchcat]

38 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

and why put everybody in jail?? Thailand doesn't know other sentences??

 

They don't put everybody in jail, Thaksin is a good example.

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, GypsyT said:

Maybe this would help?

 

"AirTag is a super easy way to keep track of your stuff. Attach one to your keys, slip another in your backpack."

 

Better still, there are apps on which you press a button on your phone when you park, and it leads you back later. Free!

[brianthainess]

59 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

Strange tory... he is being jailed for something not happened.. he claimed he lost his car but withdrew it so nothing happened.. and why put everybody in jail?? Thailand doesn't know other sentences??

He has not even been to court yet, and I doubt any jail time would come from the case. Sensational Headline though.

[n00dle]

27 minutes ago, watchcat said:

 

They don't put everybody in jail, Thaksin is a good example.

indeed, during his reign as prime minister -- back in the day, not this time around -- summary executions were the way forward. 

[2baht]

2 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Parked the motorbike down walking street one night many years ago, forgot where I parked it after drinking a dozen beers. 

 

Had to go back the next day. 

It's not a good feeling. 

 

 

Always......SAFETY FIRST!

[jimgilly]

It looks to me like he signed a document where he admitted he was planning to defraud the insurance company otherwise there is no other proof of a crime from what I read. 

 

If he signed a document he didn't understand then he made a serious mistake and now he is paying for it.  I personally know other expats who did the same and ended up on the other side of the law. 

 

Bottom line is never ever sign your name to anything you don't understand no matter if you're being coerced to do so because it will never end well.  In any event, it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

[OneMoreFarang]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

they charged him with perjury and coercively made him sign documents he scarcely understood

 

Obviously, one should know what you sign.

On the other hand, I wonder if it is lawful for the police to ask anybody to sign a document when the police must know the person can't read and understand it. 

 

[Chris Daley]

He was a fool to ask the feds for help.

[Emdog]

65 year old expats with memory and other health problems:

just the sort of criminals the cops crack down on with maximal effort

[Kerryd]

There are lot attendants in the parking areas for Phaya Thai Hospital in Sri Racha. Been there many times. Usually see 2-3 attendants and the "conveyance trolleys" that circle the parking areas to pick-up/drop-off passengers.

The first thing he would have/should have done is get the WIFE to help him. One has to wonder WHERE she was when he was going to the police and signing documents he didn't understand.

Failing that and KNOWING you don't speak, read or write a single word in Thai, you should enlist the help of someone who does.
He's got to have some friends who may have wives/relatives/friends that speak the same language.

Even Google Translate on your phone is better than nothing thought it often has a lot of problems translating Thai. You have to really pay attention to the translations and often have to guess what it's trying to say because half of it is gibberish.

I often find myself typing something into Google Translate - looking at the "translation" then editing what I typed and checking again until the translation matches what I'm trying to convey.

Not the easiest way to do things but hey, if you wanted "easy" you'd be living in your home country where most (some, a few) people still speak your language !

[petermik]

Whenever I park anywhere I get the girlfriend to sit on the cars roof...never a problem....if I am going to be a while I give her a bottle of water 

[TroubleandGrumpy]

The Thai Police have false reports lodged with them all the time - from tourists claiming they have had a 100K Baht necklaces stolen to locals claiming their car was stolen (when it is in Uncle's garage/farm).  Remember when they put those 'for rent' electric bikes in Bangkok, like they have in many western cities, they all disappeared and not many were ever recovered. This is Thailand and the Police are always sceptical - never go into a Police station without a Thai GF/Wife/Lawyer and if you do then record everything said.  If this bloke has lived here for many years and did not know that then I have no sympathy. In fact, that he has a Thai wife and he did not handle things 'properly', such as taking her with him into the police stations, makes me very dubious about him and his wife - were they trying a scam and then realised they better not??  The whole thing smells off to me - he is 65 not 85 - something is going on that we dont know about. 

[sqwakvfr]

4 minutes ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

The Thai Police have false reports lodged with them all the time - from tourists claiming they have had a 100K Baht necklaces stolen to locals claiming their car was stolen (when it is in Uncle's garage/farm).  Remember when they put those 'for rent' electric bikes in Bangkok, like they have in many western cities, they all disappeared and not many were ever recovered. This is Thailand and the Police are always sceptical - never go into a Police station without a Thai GF/Wife/Lawyer and if you do then record everything said.  If this bloke has lived here for many years and did not know that then I have no sympathy. In fact, that he has a Thai wife and he did not handle things 'properly', such as taking her with him into the police stations, makes me very dubious about him and his wife - were they trying a scam and then realised they better not??  The whole thing smells off to me - he is 65 not 85 - something is going on that we dont know about. 

I have encountered some foreign guys in LOS younger than this guy who were "losing" it.  I know this one guy at the gym from the US who was at the time 61.  Often we were having converstaions and he would constantly forget what were talking about.  He must have asked for my email address 10 times and I never got an email from him.  I suggested he see a doctor about his cognitive decline but he dismissed me promptly.  Also, I ran into him at Central Festival recently and he had no idea who I was.

[Ralf001]

1 hour ago, Kerryd said:

There are lot attendants in the parking areas for Phaya Thai Hospital in Sri Racha. Been there many times. Usually see 2-3 attendants and the "conveyance trolleys" that circle the parking areas to pick-up/drop-off passengers.
 

 

I do not bother with them electric conveyance thingo's.

I roll in and saying Iam parking, if the onsite parking is full they will valet park for you.