Crime Swiss National 'David' Sentenced to Jail for Assaulting Thai Doctor in Phuket

[LivingNThailand]

1 minute ago, save the frogs said:

How and where does one rent an elephant? 

Lots of elephant sanctuaries rent elephants.   This is from an article I just looked up.  Lots of farmers and others that live in the countryside have elephants and are willing to rent them out for money.  It happens all the time.

Elephants cannot be ‘rescued’ in Thailand, as they are classed as ‘working animals’ under the Beast of Burden Act 1939. This makes them private property of their owners, so they must be bought or rented. An elephant in peak condition might cost $100,000 to buy.

[save the frogs]

11 hours ago, Ohyesuare said:

 

You make a monthly payment to a mahout.

what's a mahout

[LivingNThailand]

Just now, save the frogs said:

what's a mahout

You don't live in Thailand, do you?

[harryviking]

21 hours ago, webfact said:

File photo

In a dramatic turn of events, the Phuket Court of Appeal has reversed a previous ruling, sentencing a Swiss national to one month in prison without probation for assaulting a doctor.

 

The case involved Dr Tanradao Jandam, known as Dr Pai, who accused Urs 'David' Fehr, a Swiss citizen and owner of a Phuket elephant park, of kicking her in the back and hurling abusive language at her.

 

The incident occurred on 24th February 2024 while Dr Pai was seated on the steps of a luxury villa at Yamu Beach, in the Pa Khlok area of Thalang District, Phuket.

 

Initially, the Phuket Provincial Court dismissed the charges on 3rd September 2024, citing reasonable doubt in favour of the defendant. Following this decision, Dr Pai’s lawyer, Nipit Intrasombat, lodged an appeal.

 

In the latest development, the Court of Appeal has found the defendant guilty under Article 391 of the Thai Criminal Code, recognising the severity of the assault and imposing a one-month custodial sentence without allowing for a suspended sentence.

 

Mr Nipit expressed his gratitude to all involved in the case, including the investigators, prosecutors, court officials, original and defence lawyers, acknowledging their dedication.

 

He emphasised that the differing views in the case were purely based on factual and legal grounds, not personal animosity.

 

The verdict is a vindication for Dr Pai, who persevered with patience and fortitude to seek justice. Mr Nipit noted that he undertook the appeal without charging for travel, airfare, documentation, or legal fees, understanding the sentiments of Dr Pai, the people of Phuket, and all Thais regarding this case.

 

Reports indicate the defendant has fled the country despite the court's arrest warrant.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Matichon 2025-05-23

 

 

Some people just cannot or will not understand that they are actually guest in another country and should try to be polite and friendly towards the "natives"! Being rude and abusive will of course get you in serious trouble, and that is well deserved! All those bullies out there should be banned from coming and living in Thailand! For EVER!! Enjoy your nice vaccation in a Thai jail Mr. Swiss!! You have earned it! 🤣🤣

[Spermwhale Whalen]

15 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

How and where does one rent an elephant? 

I saw a while back on a Thai news channel that he rents working elephants from a camp in Surin.

[Look Chang]

I am neither for rent nor for sale . . . 😊

[Thingamabob]

1 hour ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

 

It just further evidence to support my outlook and attitude towards Thailand.

 

Thailand is great, I love it, I have been coming here for 30+ years on long holidays and have lived in Phuket for 2.5 years now (3 months holiday in England at the moment).

 

But as we can never be resident here or fully retire here we should keep all of our major assets in our own country, and our money, only bring what we need here to live on.

 

My Thai partner owns the house we live in as she bought it from her tour business income, we balance out our expenses between us.

 

I keep a few thousand pounds in cash, and access to £50k instant money in case I ever need to "do a runner", we are after all temporary guests here on our temporary annual visa extensions, with no rights at all it seems when it comes to the crunch.

 

He was found not guilty during the first court case it seems, but on appeal they found him guilty despite all of the evidence in his favour, hence time to do a runner.

 

I see a lot of hatred towards him by many farangs is due to the fact he may have a lot of money and so the 'green eyed monsters' are out and about every chance they can get.

 

Good luck to him, I hope it turns out well for him in the long run. 

 

 

 

Your personal background has no relevance to this case. The fact is that kicking and swearing at people is not acceptable in any country. Thuggish behaviour deserving judicial punishment. I would have thought a year behind bars would have been more appropriate. Behaviour like this reflects badly on all of us.

[Red Forever]

1 hour ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

 

It just further evidence to support my outlook and attitude towards Thailand.

 

Thailand is great, I love it, I have been coming here for 30+ years on long holidays and have lived in Phuket for 2.5 years now (3 months holiday in England at the moment).

 

But as we can never be resident here or fully retire here we should keep all of our major assets in our own country, and our money, only bring what we need here to live on.

 

My Thai partner owns the house we live in as she bought it from her tour business income, we balance out our expenses between us.

 

I keep a few thousand pounds in cash, and access to £50k instant money in case I ever need to "do a runner", we are after all temporary guests here on our temporary annual visa extensions, with no rights at all it seems when it comes to the crunch.

 

He was found not guilty during the first court case it seems, but on appeal they found him guilty despite all of the evidence in his favour, hence time to do a runner.

 

I see a lot of hatred towards him by many farangs is due to the fact he may have a lot of money and so the 'green eyed monsters' are out and about every chance they can get.

 

Good luck to him, I hope it turns out well for him in the long run. 

 

 

 

You obviously didn’t read the whole OP.

This guy was regarded as an A hole by people in Phuket.

As for your misguided assertion that AN posters are jealous of this thug, you’re way off the mark.

This Swiss thug has nothing that I would envy.

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

[advancebooking]

2 hours ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

But as we can never be resident here or fully retire here

B.S. Have you ever heard of getting permanent residence and/or citizenship. The latter is easier documents wise. Im in the program and will have it in a few yrs. Tons of farang have it. 

[advancebooking]

His name is mud now and Im sure he will never come back to the land of smiles. So be it. 

 

Its a wake up for us all. The thai press will put ones ugly face in the press if you play up. We should all behave ourselves. One chance with the reputation only 

[ronnie50]

22 hours ago, webfact said:

He emphasised that the differing views in the case were purely based on factual and legal grounds, not personal animosity.

Yeah, sure. Since judges can rule anyway they want they decided to make an example of this foreigner. I wonder if a Thai Dr or other person hit or kicked someone in anger on the beach if s/he would get a one month custodial sentence. My own sense is if the kicker was LoSo yes off to jail, if HiSo - no. (former similar cases and outcomes are not necessary to consider by judges here - e.g. Thai judges are not obliged to follow 'legal precendence' as the country's judicial system doesn't have a system of 'common law' like US, UK Canada, Australia, etc.)

[stevenl]

1 hour ago, Kerryd said:

According to the original story - he was renting the villa - for 1 million baht a month !!!
(Seriously. I wasn't the first to question what he did for a living that he was paying a million a month to rent that place. Surely not making that much money from an "elephant sanctuary".)

And his attitude after attacking the doctor - for the crime of sitting on some illegally constructed steps that were actually on PUBLIC land - suggests he was not your average kind-hearted retiree,

And then he skips the country after getting a 1 month sentence ? That he could have - easily - appealed and been let out on bail while waiting for the appeal to go through.

I think there's a lot more to the story than is being shown in the media.

And how the **** was he even able to leave the country ? They should have had his passport and his name should have been in the "vaunted" biometric security system.

Unless he had "other means" to get out of the country, which would lead back to the 2nd sentence in this post.

I think he was allowed to leave after the first 'not guilty' verdict.

You added a zero to much I think for the rental price.

[ronnie50]

9 minutes ago, advancebooking said:

B.S. Have you ever heard of getting permanent residence and/or citizenship. The latter is easier documents wise. Im in the program and will have it in a few yrs. Tons of farang have it. 

Are you American? In my experience, the odd farang with Thai citizenship or PR has tended to be American. And they always rabbit on about the Treaty of Amity for some reason. Not sure it has any bearing. Maybe it does.

[zzzzz]

4 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

Are you American? In my experience, the odd farang with Thai citizenship or PR has tended to be American. And they always rabbit on about the Treaty of Amity for some reason. Not sure it has any bearing. Maybe it does.

I know quite a few that have PR status, NONE are Americans
all have been here 25+ years

[Patong2021]

18 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

The HiSo of Thailand, cannot lose.....!

 

The victim was not "hiso". The perp had a well deserved negative reputation.

[Bday Prang]

1 hour ago, save the frogs said:

How and where does one rent an elephant?

first find a Mahout 

[drbrit]

SUPERB! Now he has a criminal record. Well deserved 

[Mywayboy]

Stamp permanently banned Scumper Coward

[thesetat]

23 hours ago, webfact said:

Mr Nipit noted that he undertook the appeal without charging for travel, airfare, documentation, or legal fees, understanding the sentiments of Dr Pai, the people of Phuket, and all Thais regarding this case.

Haha... what an upstanding lawyer this guy is. So dedicated to the Thai people. I would bet money if the case was not publicized so much that he would be demanding exorbitant fees. 

The case was a no-brainer. HOw the foreigner avoided a guilty charge in the first court is beyond me however, I suspect influence was used there. 

I am also curious, does he get kicked out of Thailand and visa revoked and black-listed? 

[oxo1947]

4 hours ago, renaissanc said:

All he needed to do in the first place was to create a barrier in front of the steps to stop people sitting there

The steps  (and a few other items) were not on the house land---thats wasn't his fault (his renting)  the owner had encroached a little as most beach front houses seem to....all items  have now been removed which didn't make the owner to happy .

 

 

 

[TopThai54]

23 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

goodbye forever please!

did he kill somebody ? 

[TopThai54]

2 hours ago, harryviking said:

Some people just cannot or will not understand that they are actually guest in another country and should try to be polite and friendly towards the "natives"! Being rude and abusive will of course get you in serious trouble, and that is well deserved! All those bullies out there should be banned from coming and living in Thailand! For EVER!! Enjoy your nice vaccation in a Thai jail Mr. Swiss!! You have earned it! 🤣🤣

can you read ? He has left Thailand...

[richard_smith237]

I make no defence of this individual whatsoever - he’s clearly a reprehensible character with a dubious past, and Thailand would undoubtedly be better off without him.

 

However, I am genuinely curious about how the Phuket Kwaeng Court initially dismissed the assault charges against Fehr, citing insufficient evidence. During the trial, the court also highlighted inconsistencies in Dr. Thandao’s testimony and noted that the video evidence failed to conclusively support the claim of assault.

 

So, what exactly changed? What new evidence came to light that warranted reopening the case?

 

While I have no sympathy for this man whatsoever, justice must be blind and impartial. If convictions can be overturned or reinstated without clear and compelling proof, we all risk being vulnerable to accusations swayed by personal animosity rather than facts.

 

The very need to issue a statement (below) clarifying this only serves to underscore that concern, rather than dispel it.

Quote

He emphasised that the differing views in the case were purely based on factual and legal grounds, not personal animosity.

[JBChiangRai]

3 hours ago, Kerryd said:

And then he skips the country after getting a 1 month sentence ? That he could have - easily - appealed and been let out on bail while waiting for the appeal to go through.

I think there's a lot more to the story than is being shown in the media.

And how the **** was he even able to leave the country ? They should have had his passport and his name should have been in the "vaunted" biometric security system.

Unless he had "other means" to get out of the country, which would lead back to the 2nd sentence in this post.

I suspect skipping the country is the ideal outcome to the Thai authorities.  They don’t have to pay for a jail for him and he can’t ever come back.  Win-Win for Thailand.

 

39 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

I make no defence of this individual whatsoever - he’s clearly a reprehensible character with a dubious past, and Thailand would undoubtedly be better off without him.

 

However, I am genuinely curious about how the Phuket Kwaeng Court initially dismissed the assault charges against Fehr, citing insufficient evidence. During the trial, the court also highlighted inconsistencies in Dr. Thandao’s testimony and noted that the video evidence failed to conclusively support the claim of assault.

 

So, what exactly changed? What new evidence came to light that warranted reopening the case?

 

While I have no sympathy for this man whatsoever, justice must be blind and impartial. If convictions can be overturned or reinstated without clear and compelling proof, we all risk being vulnerable to accusations swayed by personal animosity rather than facts.

 

The very need to issue a statement (below) clarifying this only serves to underscore that concern, rather than dispel it.

 

I'm of the opinion that the first court outcome (dismissal) was bought and paid for by Urs, and that he couldn’t or wouldn’t pay for the appeal.  Fleeing was the obvious thing to do.  Now he’s well and truly plucked.

[terryofcrete]

6 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Absolutely wonderful news, he richly deserves this fate, and hopefully he'll make a lot of very good friends who will treat him with a great deal of warmth and affection. 

Already absconded….lucky Thailand. Somewhere else will have to suffer the cunning stunt. 

[Reddavy]

On 5/23/2025 at 7:13 AM, webfact said:

File photo

In a dramatic turn of events, the Phuket Court of Appeal has reversed a previous ruling, sentencing a Swiss national to one month in prison without probation for assaulting a doctor.

 

The case involved Dr Tanradao Jandam, known as Dr Pai, who accused Urs 'David' Fehr, a Swiss citizen and owner of a Phuket elephant park, of kicking her in the back and hurling abusive language at her.

 

The incident occurred on 24th February 2024 while Dr Pai was seated on the steps of a luxury villa at Yamu Beach, in the Pa Khlok area of Thalang District, Phuket.

 

Initially, the Phuket Provincial Court dismissed the charges on 3rd September 2024, citing reasonable doubt in favour of the defendant. Following this decision, Dr Pai’s lawyer, Nipit Intrasombat, lodged an appeal.

 

In the latest development, the Court of Appeal has found the defendant guilty under Article 391 of the Thai Criminal Code, recognising the severity of the assault and imposing a one-month custodial sentence without allowing for a suspended sentence.

 

Mr Nipit expressed his gratitude to all involved in the case, including the investigators, prosecutors, court officials, original and defence lawyers, acknowledging their dedication.

 

He emphasised that the differing views in the case were purely based on factual and legal grounds, not personal animosity.

 

The verdict is a vindication for Dr Pai, who persevered with patience and fortitude to seek justice. Mr Nipit noted that he undertook the appeal without charging for travel, airfare, documentation, or legal fees, understanding the sentiments of Dr Pai, the people of Phuket, and all Thais regarding this case.

 

Reports indicate the defendant has fled the country despite the court's arrest warrant.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Matichon 2025-05-23

 

 

His brown envelopes must not have been big enough 🤷🏼

[off road pat]

6 hours ago, save the frogs said:

 

Another guy who hates rich people.

He needed to invest his savings to open it, didn't he? He had to take risks with his money, no?

The animals are "retired" and need support, no?

Maybe he's overcharging? But you conclude it's a scam because you're jealous that he owns a villa?

 

It was a scam, He rented the elephants, and he doesn't own the Vila, just rent it !

If you know nothing about this case ? You should refrain from talking BS !!

[Loyl]

Should have been longer 

[quake]

Wonder how many Thais go to jail for assaults.

Not a nice man,  but. 

[off road pat]

6 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

And what kind of evidence of scam is that. His business can be raking in money because it´s popular. Is that a scam?

It was a scam, he rented the elephants and pretended that they were rescued elephants that worked in logging and riding industries.