Pictures courtesy of The Scottish Sun

 

A Scottish man's holiday to Thailand turned disastrous when his ex-partner secretly cancelled his passport, causing a dramatic airport detention and subsequent deportation back to the UK.

 

William Barr, hailing from Inverkeithing, Fife, arrived in Phuket only to be detained by immigration officers who flagged his passport as stolen. The dramatic development forced him to abandon his dream getaway before it even began.

 

“Upon handing over my passport, I was shocked when the Thai authorities informed me it was marked as stolen. Suddenly, I found myself in a cell for 10 hours, clueless and frightened," Barr recounted, describing the experience as terrifying.

 

The ordeal began when Barr departed from Edinburgh Airport with a friend on a journey via Qatar Airways. Following a three-and-a-half-hour layover in Doha, they boarded a connecting flight to Phuket. However, when Barr presented his passport for a routine check, it triggered alarms in the system, resulting in his immediate detention.

 

After having spent £1,600 (about 67,200 thai baht) on the trip, Barr was horrified as his luggage was confiscated for hours. He feared illegal items might be planted. Eventually, he was told to pay 3,000 baht (approximately £70) before being booked on a flight back to Doha, accompanied by security personnel.

 

“I was escorted like a criminal,” Barr said. “Boarding the plane before everyone else made me feel humiliated. I didn’t see my passport until I returned to Edinburgh, where it was permanently seized.”

 

Once back in the UK, UK Border Force informed Barr about the impoundment of his travel documents. Officials confirmed that Barr's passport had been reported missing on October 1 last year, prompting an investigation by Police Scotland.

 

The Scottish Sun recently revealed that Barr's ex-partner, Rosie Wood, aged 31, orchestrated the cancellation of his passport. Wood admitted her actions in court, expressing anger over Barr's plans to holiday without her. Using an online system, she falsely reported the passport as missing or stolen, setting off the chain of events.

 

At Dunfermline Sheriff Court, Wood admitted to causing Barr “annoyance, inconvenience, or needless anxiety.” Barr, who was planning to spend two weeks in Thailand, was shocked to learn that his passport was invalid, according to the court. Despite his protests, Barr was sent back to the UK, leaving his holiday dreams shattered.

 

On returning home, Barr sought police intervention. Investigators connected the fraudulent report to Wood's internet account, substantiating her involvement. She confessed, attributing her actions to resentment, claiming, “He left her kids.” Although aware of her error, Wood felt powerless to reverse the consequences.

 

Barr estimated the incident cost him approximately £2,500, leaving him both financially and emotionally distressed.

 

Defence solicitor Shona Westwood mentioned Wood's deep regret and financial struggles. Sheriff Mark O’Hanlon condemned the seriousness of the crime, noting the holiday loss suffered by Barr. Wood received a community payback order, including 12 months of supervision and 167 hours of unpaid work. Her financial hardship meant compensation was limited to £500.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The THaiger 2025-09-05

 

 

Hell hath no fury....

Forgetting the ability for somebody other than the passport holder to be able to report it as stolen, the article says she reported it last October?  So almost one year later he was still able to travel just recently?  The flight into DOHA had no issues and he was able to board and continue onto Phuket?  Actually the article doesn't seem to state when he did travel.  Based on the legal things and investigations it mentioned, this was not a very recent trip

55 minutes ago, webfact said:

his ex-partner secretly cancelled his passport,

 

You should stat away from "the ladies of the night".

1 hour ago, webfact said:

his ex-partner secretly cancelled his passport

What a bitch. 

It's a bit concerning that the Phuket immigration system functions better than at Edinburgh and Doha - what's the world coming to? 

She gets an A for originality.

1 hour ago, watchcat said:

 

You should stat away from "the ladies of the night".

Did you care to read the article.

Rosie Wood from UK doesn't sound like your typical lady of the night?

So can anyone report someone else's passport as stolen and stop them travelling?

 

 

It reads like Rosie had been found by analyzing internet connection data and RECENTLY been brought to court.

The very next action:

#gofundme

Brits are well known for it 😂

 

So how did he get out of the UK and then onto a flight from Doha if his passport was flagged in the system and then if he had a passport showing as stolen and Thai authorities put him on a flight to Doha how was that possible and how would he get to the UK if they took his passport off him as it was showing as stolen 🤔

4 hours ago, webfact said:

The Scottish Sun recently revealed that Barr's ex-partner, Rosie Wood, aged 31, orchestrated the cancellation of his passport. Wood admitted her actions in court, expressing anger over Barr's plans to holiday without her. Using an online system, she falsely reported the passport as missing or stolen, setting off the chain of events.

What a wonderful lady....

2 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

She gets an A for originality.

Opposing the 1000s of copycats that will now follow...

Confusing story! Why it’s possible for him to depart UK if the passport was invalid? 

Bulls story,there is no immigration check on domestic flights in Thailand.Also if his passport is reportet stolen then they would have stopped him already in Edinburgh.

3 hours ago, watchcat said:

 

You should stat away from "the ladies of the night".

What on earth are you talking about?

Why was it not picked up when he left the UK ! It’s clear that UK immigration messed up 

13 minutes ago, mrmicbkktxl said:

Bulls story,there is no immigration check on domestic flights in Thailand.Also if his passport is reportet stolen then they would have stopped him already in Edinburgh.

What domestic flight? Qatar airlines fly direct to Phuket. 

3 hours ago, watchcat said:

 

You should stat away from "the ladies of the night".

Could have been worse. He could have married her.🙃🙃

29 minutes ago, ronster said:

So how did he get out of the UK and then onto a flight from Doha if his passport was flagged in the system and then if he had a passport showing as stolen and Thai authorities put him on a flight to Doha how was that possible and how would he get to the UK if they took his passport off him as it was showing as stolen 🤔

Leaving the UK, there is no passport check by immigration, the passport is only checked at check in by airline staff, they wouldn't know if it had been flagged as stolen?

3 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

Leaving the UK, there is no passport check by immigration, the passport is only checked at check in by airline staff, they wouldn't know if it had been flagged as stolen?

 

The airline has to submit a flight manifest to Big Brother, including passport numbers.  If the passport was flagged as stolen, it should have been caught on departure.  Otherwise, he may be a terrorist with a stolen passport and nefarious intent.

4 hours ago, gk10012001 said:

Forgetting the ability for somebody other than the passport holder to be able to report it as stolen, the article says she reported it last October?  So almost one year later he was still able to travel just recently?  The flight into DOHA had no issues and he was able to board and continue onto Phuket?  Actually the article doesn't seem to state when he did travel.  Based on the legal things and investigations it mentioned, this was not a very recent trip

He may not have travelled abroad since the passport was cancelled.

There are no border control passport checks when departing the UK and there would be no way for the airline to see that it had been cancelled when he checked in at EDI, an airside transit in Doha doesn't require any immigration / passport checks, so it is feasible for this to happen.

2 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

The airline has to submit a flight manifest to Big Brother, including passport numbers.  If the passport was flagged as stolen, it should have been caught on departure.  Otherwise, he may be a terrorist with a stolen passport and nefarious intent.

Likely only to be triggered by wanted persons as opposed to a cancelled passport.

IMHO the keywords here is "ex-partner". The relationship was over when he made the trip. What is this nonsense of her being upset that he was not taking her to Thailand. Which part of the "the relationship is over" does she not understand? If I leave a company, for whatever reason, how can I expect the company to continue giving me benefits. 

16 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

Leaving the UK, there is no passport check by immigration, the passport is only checked at check in by airline staff, they wouldn't know if it had been flagged as stolen?

Pretty sure flags are raised at check in as otherwise how would they enforce no fly restrictions as anyone banned from flying could just get on any plane to anywhere.

10 minutes ago, Mattd said:

Likely only to be triggered by wanted persons as opposed to a cancelled passport.

 

If that is the case, it's a huge security lapse.

He must have done something pretty bad to piss her off like that

2 minutes ago, riverhigh said:

IMHO the keywords here is "ex-partner". The relationship was over when he made the trip. What is this nonsense of her being upset that he was not taking her to Thailand. Which part of the "the relationship is over" does she not understand? If I leave a company, for whatever reason, how can I expect the company to continue giving me benefits. 

 

Here's the puzzler for me, from the OP:  She confessed, attributing her actions to resentment, claiming, “He left her kids.” Although aware of her error, Wood felt powerless to reverse the consequences.

 

Were they just "her kids"? or were they his, too?  And were there any issues of child support?