British Ex-cop Arrested In Bangkok On Sex Trafficking Charges

[Thai at Heart]

British ex-cop arrested in Bangkok on sex trafficking charges

BANGKOK: -- A former British constabulary was arrested Wednesday at an apartment house in the Suan Plu area of Bangkok for alleged involvement in the international sex trade, police said.

The flesh-trading suspect, identified as Ian Suttleworth, 42, was once a British police officer who allegedly lured an unidentified Thai woman into forced prostitution in England and Scotland.

Today, the Criminal Court acquitted Ian Shuttleworth on all charges.

The other paper has details.

So he's been banged up for over two years for the crime of......pleading not guilty.

To loosely quote the other paper, there was no 'credible evidence', her statement during the trial was different from that which she gave to police beforehand, and other evidence from other witnesses was hearsay.

The criminal justice system covers itself in glory once again.

[Buchholz]

Court clears Briton over lack of evidence

The Ratchadaphisek Criminal Court yesterday acquitted a Briton in a lawsuit accusing him of luring a 31-year-old Thai woman into prostitution overseas.

According to the charges, Ian Shuttleworth, 50, allegedly offered the victim a well-paid job overseas "for which she claimed she had to pay Bt530,000 beforehand" before apparently forcing her into prostitution.

The court said the prosecution’s testimony was conflicting and other witness’s testimony merely hearsay, which was not convincing enough to prosecute the accused.

The court also said that since the so-called victim was 31 years old and had travelled overseas previously, she could hardly be duped easily.

The man has been acquitted and the other side has 30 days to appeal.

-- The Nation 2010-11-09

==========================================================================================================================================================

Ian Shuttleworth