British tourist’s bribery tale dismissed as ‘untrue’ by Pattaya police chief

[PomPolo]

36 minutes ago, riverhigh said:

All I see is a fat obese drunkard that trashed a homeowners's  vehicle barrier and then got evicted from his digs for his loud boozy behaviour. As expected, no apology from this drunkard for his behaviour and the problems he caused. Instead all we hear is complaints, complaints about the condition of his cell and treatment from police. Just another narcissistic self-centered pr&%K. Never taking resposibility for his actions and always blaming others.

Yeah good riddance to lardy

[twizzian]

Unable to score with the ladies, so seeking other attention

[soalbundy]

2 hours ago, jippytum said:

Sounds like a troublesome  Brit. thet deserved to be arrested. However the bribe story probably has some truth about it

A very 'dignified' fat Brit who looks more like 75 than 55, he probably deserved all he got and some. A month on the tread mill with bread and water would do him some good.

[spidermike007]

Deflection. First of all, the RTP at it's inception seems to have been created with a status quo from the government. We will NOT pay you a living wage, but you have a franchise, and the limit of your income is based solely on your own creativity and initiative, and you will always be protected. Is that not the case? 

 

So, even if this clown was sincere, which of course he is not, where would you begin to change that culture? You know where? You would double all salaries. And invest in modern equipment, forensic labs and an effective highway patrol. Probably a trillion baht to start.

 

And even when caught, how many are charged and convicted? Your honor, I am RTP. You and I both know I am above the law, and protected at every level. They even told us that in the academy. That is all the evidence I need. The person making the complaint is just a citizen. They don't count. You know that. I know that. The RTP are superior to citizens. We have the power and you are sworn to protect us. So, drop the charges and let me get on with my franchise. 

 

 

[herfiehandbag]

8 minutes ago, Chivas said:

Whatever the rights or wrong over the original "detention" I doubt there is a single member here who doesnt believe that he indeed did pay a bung to get out of it

What a terrible slur - that is tantamount to not believing the police when they state categorically that they can find no evidence of prostitution in Pattaya!

[SAFETY FIRST]

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

returned to his digs only to be refused entry due to his penchant for loud, boozy antics, leading to further disturbances and yet another arrest.

The guy is a disrespectful, troublemaker. 

 

Lots arriving these days. 

 

 

 

[Zack61]

3 hours ago, Dave0206 said:

Atm time and amount of  withdrawal would help to corroborate his story

I’m 200% certain they will find no record of such transaction. 

[Thingamabob]

Pay, shut up, and don't come back.

[Frankie baby]

Two things in the Brits favour.

 

1. Denial by the Police Chief.

2. The mention of an ATM machine.

 

Anything else seems irrelevant if the past form is anything to go by.   

[Zack61]

9 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Deflection. First of all, the RTP at it's inception seems to have been created with a status quo from the government. We will NOT pay you a living wage, but you have a franchise, and the limit of your income is based solely on your own creativity and initiative, and you will always be protected. Is that not the case? 

I recall about 10 years ago I was told by a monk who had, in his previous life, close links with the police that, as part of their training, they were taught and encouraged to extort in order to supplement their meagre salaries. There is no doubt in my mind that the likelihood of his ATM account is likely true. The rest of his story… fark nose. 

[Mason45]

I never forget, Thirty years ago I was working on a construction site when my annual leave was due. A friend of mine suggested I spend my leave in Pattaya, I'd never heard of Pattaya before. I asked him where it was and what makes it a good holiday destination. He said not much but the pussy is great and the booze is cheap. So off to Pattaya I go, I shagged myself stupid and got s**t faced for my entire holiday and returned home a total wreck. Now as I'm much older, married to a Thai and don't drink like I used to I find Pattaya boring. Pattaya is only for middle aged single tourists. Certainly not a family destination.

[bkk6060]

Quality British tourist are everywhere. 

[herfiehandbag]

34 minutes ago, herfiehandbag said:

What a terrible slur - that is tantamount to not believing the police when they state categorically that they can find no evidence of prostitution in Pattaya!

 

[dallen52]

As far as payment goes  of course it happens. 

TIT.

Normally a visit to the 2nd floor and some negotiating takes place. 

I know people who have been through this. 

Same the Friday night Buchao checks for DIU...

A quick accompanied walk to the ATM and 10,000 later  all disappears. 

Along with the threats of reporting to immigration and visa cancellation. 

Or 3 nights in the cells until Monday morning court appearance.

 

They have a quota to reach. 

End of month and the pressures on to boost the coffers. 

 

As far as the cells go.

That's a pretty good illustration of the conditions...

[herfiehandbag]

 

Oh how quickly the sophisticated soignee image slips!

[kiwikeith]

1 hour ago, TheFishman1 said:

Totally believable corruption in the police department everywhere top to bottom

Why kick up a storm now. 

Obviously doesn't want to come back here 

[jimn]

I paid 20k to get out of a drink drive matter a few years ago at soi 9. They even have a special Negotiation Room". Was released given my car keys back and met the officer in Jomtien the next day to give the 20k. He held onto some id/license as security. These incidents are the norm over here.

[mran66]

3 hours ago, jippytum said:

However the bribe story probably has some truth about it

 

Some? 

[Bday Prang]

give him his money back and bang him up again then.   Is that what he really wants?  most would be happy to be able to buy their way out of a problem 

[Bday Prang]

4 minutes ago, jimn said:

I paid 20k to get out of a drink drive matter a few years ago at soi 9. They even have a special Negotiation Room". Was released given my car keys back and met the officer in Jomtien the next day to give the 20k. He held onto some id/license as security. These incidents are the norm over here.

and long may it continue

[Gandtee]

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Picture of Andrew Hopkins courtesy of The Nation

 

By Bob Scott

 

A British tourist’s claims of bribing his way out of a Pattaya jail have been denounced as “largely untrue” by a Pattaya police chief. However, in a bid for transparency, the Pattaya police chief promises a thorough review of the evidence.

 

Police Colonel Nawin Theerawit, head of the Pattaya Police Station in Chon Buri province, issued a strong denial yesterday, February 3, in response to foreign media reports.

 

A controversial story had surfaced, alleging that hapless Brit Andrew Hopkins was forced to shell out 15,000 baht to secure his release from a Thai cell.

 

Hopkins’s ordeal was told in vivid detail by the British tabloid Daily Mail. The newspaper reported that the 55 year old was staying at an Airbnb in Pattaya when a late-night stroll allegedly went awry.

 

In a comedy of errors, he accidentally knocked over an entrance sign en route, rousing the ire of two local security guards who immediately descended upon him, bellowing in Thai.

 

Hopkins claimed that it wasn’t long before the local police arrived, swiftly bundling him into the back of a pick-up truck and carting him to a cell, where he languished for 36 hours amidst squalor: a picture painted with photos showing grime and overcrowding.

 

 

Seizing the narrative, Hopkins alleged that his release came only after an Italian man informed him of the need to pay 15,000 baht in cash. He described being frog marched to an ATM before his freedom was seemingly bought once two senior officers pocketed the cash.

 

Undeterred, Pol. Col. Nawin set the record straight. The kerfuffle allegedly started on November 22 of last year, when Hopkins, under the influence, reportedly trashed a vehicle barrier. Officers stepped in to calm him down, imposing a mere 100 baht fine before releasing him.

 

But the drama didn’t end there. Pol. Col. Nawin recounted how Hopkins returned to his digs only to be refused entry due to his penchant for loud, boozy antics, leading to further disturbances and yet another arrest.

 

Emphasising procedural integrity, Pol. Col. Nawin insisted Hopkins was subjected to due process, with all his belongings duly returned and documented through photographs. He staunchly defended the state of the cells, asserting daily cleaning and round-the-clock CCTV surveillance, reported The Nation.

 

Nevertheless, the incident now undergoes further scrutiny to ensure all concerned parties are satisfied. As the world watches, Pattaya’s reputation hangs in the balance, poised between reputational ruin and redemption.

 

Source: The Thaiger

-- 2025-02-04

 

 

Largely untrue?

[cdemundo]

2 hours ago, thesetat said:

Completely untrue. Everyone already knows about Pattayas reputation as well as the local police tactics. Nothing one man claims will change what years of news stories and incidents have proven already. No investigation into this will change their image. 

I think you are suffering from an irony deficiency.

Ask your doctor, maybe he can recommend a dietary supplement.

[kingstonkid]

2 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Hangs in a precarious position based on the word of a senior Thai police officer, against the UK's Daily Mail!

Putting it that way makes it easy which story to believe.

 

The cop is right lol. 

 

Daily mail hasn't missed a crap hit piece never lets facts get in the way.

 

Thailand should sue for slander daily mail seems to thrive on one sided hit piece's 

[mikebell]

The whole incident took place last November.  This story was printed in the Daily Mail after he returned.  All readers advocating the Brit's deportation are barking at the moon; he's gone and will never dare come back.  Calls for camera footage at the ATM will be useless; it is highly unlikely RTP will grant permission to view, even if the footage has not been erased already.

The main question is do we believe a drunk as quoted in a scurrilous UK rag or senior officers in the Pattaya police force?

The choice is yours.

[arick]

Is that the most important thing of the day for all of the foreigners that are living in Thailand I think there's like several several thousand just living in one province of one from one country but this is all the crap that is news 

[Toby1947]

Wasn't the Daily Mail banned in Thailand some years ago, for telling the truth about the country. Probably the same today 

[Toby1947]

Phil ( the Power) Taylor. On a diet 🤣😂

[Baba Naba]

2 hours ago, simon43 said:

 

Clearly he has no hap....  It can't be good if you have no hap.  How he came to lose or mislay his hap is not told in this news story.

 

I understand that he was also legless, although harmless and now --- penniless 🙂

Hap is an abreviation for happy! 😅

hapless

adjective [ before noun ]

   formal

uk /ˈhæp.ləs/ 

us /ˈhæp.ləs/

unlucky and usually unhappy

[ronster]

Is his gut holding his trousers up ? 🤣

[Evil Penevil]

45 minutes ago, kiwikeith said:

Why kick up a storm now. 

Obviously doesn't want to come back here 

The Daily Mail pays for such stories.  Articles about Western tourists who have bad experiences abroad are hugely popular and attract tons of online hits.  Moreover, blubbering to the press can sometimes help in getting insurance payouts in cases where losses can't be documented.  No insurance company wants to read comments from readers that state travel insurance is useless because it never pays out.  Insurance claims are more likely to be approved in high publicity cases.

 

27 minutes ago, mikebell said:

The main question is do we believe a drunk as quoted in a scurrilous UK rag or senior officers in the Pattaya police force?

The choice is yours.

 Neither the British tourist nor the Pattaya police chief give a convincing version of events, but the cop's version has fewer holes.