Pictures courtesy of Matichon

Police have arrested a 23-year-old British national after he allegedly drove a rented Porsche high-performance car at high speed and in a dangerous manner on roads around Koh Samui, prompting widespread public complaints. Officers have confirmed he will be prosecuted in court and immigration authorities are being asked to blacklist and deport him. The case has drawn attention due to the severity of the driving behaviour and its impact on public safety.

The incident occurred on the evening of 30 January 2026 along the island’s ring road (Thaweerat Phakdi Road), covering the Mae Nam area, Bo Phut intersection and Lotus Chaweng junction. Members of the public reported a Porsche 911 Carrera S, with Bangkok registration, valued at about 12 million baht, being driven at excessive speed with loud engine noise. The car was seen tailgating other vehicles, weaving between lanes and cutting in dangerously without regard for other road users.

On 31 January 2026, Pol Col Kanthachawit Phoprasit, superintendent of Bo Phut Police Station in Surat Thani province, ordered an investigation led by Pol Lt Col Boonchoet Maneechai. CCTV footage enabled officers to locate and arrest Mr Curtis Buchan-Wiseman, a 23-year-old British citizen, along with the vehicle outside a shop in Moo 4, Bo Phut subdistrict. He was taken to Bo Phut Police Station for questioning.

Police stated that Mr Buchan-Wiseman had rented the supercar in Bangkok and travelled to Koh Samui for a holiday on 30 January 2026. He told officers he had been driving his girlfriend to celebrate her birthday on the night of the incident and admitted driving “for fun”. Officers charged him with reckless driving and driving without regard for the safety of others under the Road Traffic Act, Section 43(4) and (8).

The offence carries penalties of a fine ranging from 5,000 to 20,000 baht, imprisonment of up to one year, or both and police confirmed they would pursue the maximum legal penalty. Pol Lt Col Boonchoet said the behaviour was inappropriate for a foreign tourist and praised members of the public and social media users for providing evidence that led to the arrest. He added that the suspect and the car would be sent to the Samui Provincial Court, and that immigration officials would be asked to blacklist and deport him.

Matichon reported that other reports from the public stated the same car was seen earlier on 30 January between 09:00 and 10:00 on Highway 44 from Krabi to Kanchanadit at very high speed. Later sightings included speeding from Nathon ferry pier, overtaking on solid lines in Mae Nam and stopping in the middle of the road near Fisherman’s Village at Bo Phut at 19:45 to confront another foreign motorcyclist.

Key Takeaways

• A 23-year-old British tourist was arrested for reckless driving on Koh Samui on 31 January 2026.

• Police will prosecute the case and seek maximum penalties under Thai traffic law.

• Immigration authorities are being asked to blacklist and deport the suspect.

  

Adapted by ASEAN Now from Matichon 2026-02-02

 

 

Would love to see this kind of enforcement across the board in thailand to anyone who drives like this.

1 hour ago, Georgealbert said:

the behaviour was inappropriate for a foreign tourist

what?

1 hour ago, Georgealbert said:

confirmed they would pursue the maximum legal penalty.

i love that ...

1 hour ago, Georgealbert said:

and that immigration officials would be asked to blacklist and deport him.

a wise decision ... i hope immigration follows the request ...

(with that hairstyle, he shouldn’t be granted entry in the first place .... )

What’s disturbing here isn’t the nationality of this idiot, it’s the mindset.

While some may argue that locals are just as much at fault, I suggest that far too many tourists seem to arrive in places like Koh Samui and suddenly suspend all sense of self-preservation and respect for others.

It's as if being on holiday puts them above local laws and consequences.

If the reports are accurate, apart from the physical and financial harm this guy could have done to himself, one mistake at high speed and the lives of innocent people might also have been impacted!

Deportation and blacklisting are appropriate. Curtis shouldn't be permitted to simply turn his back on this as if it's a joke!

It should also serve as a lesson to all (foreigners and locals) of the implications of thoughtless actions that may harm others.

With a hair style like that one would assume he's a absolute tool of a human.

3 hours ago, Jim Waldron said:

Curtis shouldn't be permitted to simply turn his back on this as if it's a joke!

He is entitled to anonymity at this stage if he chooses.

10 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

• Police will prosecute the case and seek maximum penalties under Thai traffic law.

How I wish such laws included a sharp slap in the face, or three.

Road markings on the islands are a joke everyday you will see bikers and motorists overtaking on the solid yellow lines they blatantly ignore the road markings

Only a complete moron would have a hair cut like that he must have more money then brains so deport him never to return.

What speeds was he doin ?

Should be jailed for the hair never mind the speeding !! 🤯

Hey is that Mickey Mouse???

Nice pigtail 'fro there man... yet another so-called "British" miscreant.

fined him, but don’t deport him, he came to spend money.

44 minutes ago, lch said:

Before anyone says another brit, i wonder where his family immigrated to the UK from?

You mean to establish a timeline for how fast he became British😉

23 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

He is entitled to anonymity at this stage if he chooses.

Then the anonymous "Mr Curtis Buchan-Wiseman, a 23-year-old British citizen," appears to have chosen a degree of notoriety .

Does anyone seriously tbink that a 20K THB fine is going to bother someone who rents a Porsche? 100K fine...perhaps. Better jail time and/ or immediate deportation.

On 2/2/2026 at 4:09 AM, Georgealbert said:

and praised members of the public and social media users for providing evidence that led to the arrest. He added that the suspect and the car would be sent to the Samui Provincial Court, and that immigration officials would be asked to blacklist and deport him.

So the cops didn't catch him then but members of the public, who are the worse drivers I have ever come across, why should speeding be an immigration issue ? at least he didn't have an accident...

Looks like a self entitled Brit tourist who thought he was above the law

Or could pay his way out of the situation 🤑

Fine and Deportation is required as a message to deter others speeding and dangerous driving is not rewarded here in Thailand

Not a wise man.😄

Racist troll post removed @lch

57 minutes ago, shackleton said:

Fine and Deportation is required as a message to deter others speeding and dangerous driving is not rewarded here in Thailand

It certainly isn’t punished properly for the millions of atrocious native drivers doing similar. The RTA fatalities attest to that. If your going to crack down on suchlike try getting your own house in order first

I love that photo.

On 2/2/2026 at 8:11 AM, PJ71 said:

With a hair style like that one would assume he's a absolute tool of a human.

Aren't these his headphones ?

With their press information, Dude must've ticked the cops off. The fact they announced they intend pursue jail and deportation.

Guy has to dig deep in his pockets to get out of this one. I'm guessing 100K range brown envelope...

20 hours ago, crazykopite said:

Road markings on the islands are a joke everyday you will see bikers and motorists overtaking on the solid yellow lines they blatantly ignore the road markings

It's not the road markings that are a joke, it's the drivers.

45 minutes ago, Chongalulu said:

It certainly isn’t punished properly for the millions of atrocious native drivers doing similar. The RTA fatalities attest to that. If your going to crack down on suchlike try getting your own house in order first

The 86% that contribute to RTA fatalities aren't tooling around in supercars. They're on 2-wheels.

Fine, deport and blacklist this fool.

2 hours ago, mancub said:

Then the anonymous "Mr Curtis Buchan-Wiseman, a 23-year-old British citizen," appears to have chosen a degree of notoriety .

He obviously chose not to show his face as he is entitled to do; he has no entitlement to dictate the details in the press report that do not identify him visually.

He wasn't actually speeding in the clips, but driving dangerously. He might have been speeding around the Krabi area.

But worst of all, he had a open beer container in the car with him and was shown smoking something(I'll leave it at that) whilst driving.

So all in all, just another d*ckhead showing off.

Send him home to kindergarten where he can try again to learn how to grow up.