Arrested And Sentenced To Prison

[h90]

I've nothing to say about Tesco security until a few weeks ago. We went in, did a bit of shopping - paid our dues and left. Went upstairs, bought an icecream etc etc - all the time the security gates were beeping.

When we got home, and i was ready to try on my newly bought - (dunno how to put this) - jesus creepers, we found the magtag still attached.

All i'm saying, in my case, is that "alarm bells were ringing Willy" - with no Spetsnaz response.. sad story, hope things turn out ok and safe.

Had the same in New York. My mother bought some clothes. Everywhere the alarm bells were ringing..no responds.

One of that ugly devices with color inside. I had to found a hardware store and buy tool to remove it as I worried that it cause problems at the airport.

[britmaveric]

Is it possible the MIL told a porkie to the family and actually did try to nick smth?

[aromsia]

Is it possible the MIL told a porkie to the family and actually did try to nick smth?

Yes of course it's possible. But I think she may have an excuse. This country is run by the rich who hate the poor - and they get the poor to watch each other.

Having said that..I was back in ol' blighty recently - at a computer store (not a shop - one of those big places) near the end of the Piccadilly Line..Anyway, some 30-something (white) bloke walks in - yacking away on his mobile.. and walks around in the shop (still yak, yak)..then walks out of the store still talking on the mobile..

Within seconds this alert security guard - older - late 40's - (black - think it's worth mentioning) gives chase. The white guy BOLTS and drops something in the car park. He was a shoplifter...the guard came back with the item but the younger guy gets away.

Moral relevant to this thread? I'm white..the criminal was white and not young.. Things aren't always as some would like to make out. I gave myself a reality check at that moment.

[guru]

I've nothing to say about Tesco security until a few weeks ago. We went in, did a bit of shopping - paid our dues and left. Went upstairs, bought an icecream etc etc - all the time the security gates were beeping.

When we got home, and i was ready to try on my newly bought - (dunno how to put this) - jesus creepers, we found the magtag still attached.

All i'm saying, in my case, is that "alarm bells were ringing Willy" - with no Spetsnaz response.. sad story, hope things turn out ok and safe.

i dont know the truth thats why i want us + lawyer to look cctv. Wife says mum never lies to her even when bad. lawyer asks 50k, is it good? Wife asked to post here coz scouse et al advice helped her get uk visa. she respects intelligent advice from tv members & crying now. Mum has ok job and wife gives her cash often. With wife & mum in bkk 9 ys & no prob before. Even when no job she had no reason to steal. ironically wife got stopped in uk tescos as 199 bt t shirt from ramkhamhaeng set off alarm with tag .no probs. Also last week i left a bar without paying coz forgot - drunk. Next day i came & they showed bill. I paid & no problem with laugter from bar. should i go prison same? Mum is v. gullible & i expect polìce sweet talked a confession.

[aromsia]

Ok - I don't know.

But here is what I have seen work in past.

You get a number of people together - maybe two dozen if possible. You go the police station and you ge them to stand outside in the car park...but very near the door and in a "mob" fashion. You say you want tot alk to the duty captain. Theyt ake you around back with the 'mob' and a deal is worked out.

Go for it. (you need the mob - they need to appear pissed off). Forgot to say - you need to pay the cops. That's how it works. But it won't be much - mayb e 2 or 3 k

Edited December 23, 2008 by aromsia

[Tigs]

Ok - I don't know.

But here is what I have seen work in past.

You get a number of people together - maybe two dozen if possible. You go the police station and you ge them to stand outside in the car park...but very near the door and in a "mob" fashion. You say you want tot alk to the duty captain. Theyt ake you around back with the 'mob' and a deal is worked out.

Go for it. (you need the mob - they need to appear pissed off). Forgot to say - you need to pay the cops. That's how it works. But it won't be much - mayb e 2 or 3 k

He Can't, she is in jail now, out of police hands.

Guru

If they say 50 K then find it and pay it. It is your MIL and your Wife's Mum. Do everything you can to get her out. For most of you on the forum, if it were your Mum, and she HAD done it, would you still leave her to rot in a Thai Jail?? She could be ill, could be confused, just get her out. I visit people in a jail in the province here, trust me, get her out, it's Mum.

[Ta22]

Sorry to HEar this ,

If you have any connection in Bangkok , you can go TAlk to them and try to see if anyone can help ,

but is really kinda STrange tale for me, UNless something is hide away .

But i am sure talking to your police relative , may help her out abit .

-

good luck , and happy shopping at tesco . that why i alwya tell my wife go Big C cos is Thai more friendly whhahaha

[Maizefarmer]

dam_n - she threw away her right of appeal by pleading guilty. Is it her first conviction? - for anything.

dIt happens a lot - every day - the cops are under huge pressure to move people through the system asap - meaning from staition cells to jail. I can just image the conversation between her and the cops....... something along the following lines:

"Listen ma'am - lets get this done with quickly - if you plead guilty you'll be through the system within a month" - in reality, yes - she'll be out in a few weeks.

If it is her first conviction (??) - and you are the sort who wants to pursue this on principal (hel_l, why not - I understand exactly how you feel), then I have little doubt a sharp lawyer will be able to find some or other grounds to get the matter taken back to court and quickly tear the cops case to pieces.

Start off by getting a sharp lawyer - they do exsist despite it been Thailand.

1st conviction. 60 yrs old. Police conveniently lost blanket not tesco - my mistake. if we go to tescos would they let us see cctv? Police member of family said he could have helped if he had been told before sat. Sadly wife and i werent aware until we got to bkk on sat and sister hadnt told him yet. Aggh! Nobody thought she would be sentenced within 17 hours.

Okay bar talk aside: get hold of a copy of the security gaurd training manual - I have a copy of the UK one (dont ask how), and while I understand the Thai one is a translation of the UK one, I am not certain how it changes because of any local law.

But beg borrow or steal one - and inside it you will almost certainly find, amongst the many "when you can and when you cannot stop and suspect" conditions, the following 2:

1) if the suspect went out of your sight at any time from the moment they were seen to lift the goods of the shelf, til the time they left the shop - you cannot stop them.

2) you cannot stop a suspect until they are out of the shop (note: not past the till or after they have paid - but untill they are out the shop).

Its drawn up by Tesco in the UK against the background of years of experiance dealing with shoplifters (another interesting part is the way they deal with so-called "high profile" suspects, or suspects whose media profile would attract a lot of attention if caught shoplifting - I'm not going to publish it on the forum, but it is different, for what its worth).

If those, or any other conditions were not satisified then the gaurd was not stopping people in accordance with his own training guidelines, and if Tesco's customers are getting unfairily prosecuted, partly because gaurds are not doing their job inline with how they are trained, then I would imagine you would have at least an argument to go back to Tesco's with (after all it is Tesco's who is alleging the shoplifting, not the police).

Tesco hates like hel_l bad publicity.

What about the gaurd - is he a Tesco employee or subcontractor, who employees him, how many catches to his name - and are the circumstances similar. This last bit is all off the top of my head - dont take it seriously - but as you tell me this is a 60 year old women with no previous conviction, I'd start off by getting a copy of the gaurds training manual and by writing to one of Tesco's senior ex-pat staff in Thailand, explaing to them what has happened - and all the better if it ties in with some or other practice that the security gaurd has not followed to the book!.

60 year old woman - no previous conviction - and she is charged,prosecuted and found guilty all within 17 hrs! - you bet somethings not right!

I wish you all the best

[Jimjim]

60,000 baht bail for stolen goods of 1000 baht? That's just fuc_king ridiculous. They must have heard there was a foreigner in the family? Otherwise, who do they think this old lady and her family are to pay that much? If all is true, that just pisses me off to hear such profiteering without even mentioning it's for such a little, little crime. Thaksin ripped off the country for 26 billion baht and what did he get?

[Neeranam]

QUOTE

Come on - they don't put old women in prison for nothing. They must have proof.

Neeranam

you are dave9988's cohort I can see. You clearly make up your mind about something before you have given it any consideration or seen any real evidence. The police here will do anything to expedite a confession, sadly once that is done (normally coercion and threats with the promise that nothing will happen anyway), there is very little recourse to the person concerned. Neeranam, could your mother or grandmother have done that? Don't be too quick to jump on the old dear. Justice is a word here, not a principle.

Firstly, I haven't a clue who dave9988 is.

Secondly, my grandmother and mother still shops in Tesco and most certainly don't nick things.

Read the thread again and use your common sense.

[MyphuketLife]

The whole story sounds funny to me.... There is a police man in the family and no one called him before the 17 hours sentence? She called the family they came down to the station and then raised 20K only to find out it would now be 60K at no time during this money collection did they think...mmm I wonder if our own BIB could help out a little?

The story of how she got arrested sounds funny, the story of her sentencing sounds funny, the story of the bail money sounds fishy.... could this thread just be some trolling?

[eggomaniac]

I can't help wondering if somebody wheeled the trolley out of the store while she was off???

That would add some logic to the situation, as other posters were curious about if the trolly ever left the store, as well.

If somebody else was already arrested, for wheeling it out, and then she was nabbed as an accomplace, in their eyes, would they tell her that part of it?

If the cart never left the store, you should write letters to local, provincial, and federal political reps and also the monks, as well as the you know who.

Get a tv crew involved.

[Soutpeel]

Ok - I don't know.

But here is what I have seen work in past.

You get a number of people together - maybe two dozen if possible. You go the police station and you ge them to stand outside in the car park...but very near the door and in a "mob" fashion. You say you want tot alk to the duty captain. Theyt ake you around back with the 'mob' and a deal is worked out.

Go for it. (you need the mob - they need to appear pissed off). Forgot to say - you need to pay the cops. That's how it works. But it won't be much - mayb e 2 or 3 k

But wouldnt would also need some plastic hand clappers as well with an optional yellow or red shirt ....

[bkkjames]

I can't help wondering if somebody wheeled the trolley out of the store while she was off???

That would add some logic to the situation, as other posters were curious about if the trolly ever left the store, as well.

If somebody else was already arrested, for wheeling it out, and then she was nabbed as an accomplace, in their eyes, would they tell her that part of it?

If the cart never left the store, you should write letters to local, provincial, and federal political reps and also the monks, as well as the you know who.

Get a tv crew involved.

hilarious. where is Geraldo Rivera when we need him? By the time you get any attention her sentence will be served. Then what you gonna sue the BIB for illegal arrest?

anyone look at the video surveliance tapes yet? chances are the accused and convicted didn't like what she saw on TV.

perhaps if ol mother in law had a small convenience store you might be able to twist the story enough to make it a farang company vs thai mom and pop operation or something similar. Perhaps you can get some friends and go protest in front of the store - seems to be in trend these days.

[yogi]

I should encourage my mother in law to shop at tesco more often

post of the day.....

[Tigs]

QUOTE

Come on - they don't put old women in prison for nothing. They must have proof.

Neeranam

you are dave9988's cohort I can see. You clearly make up your mind about something before you have given it any consideration or seen any real evidence. The police here will do anything to expedite a confession, sadly once that is done (normally coercion and threats with the promise that nothing will happen anyway), there is very little recourse to the person concerned. Neeranam, could your mother or grandmother have done that? Don't be too quick to jump on the old dear. Justice is a word here, not a principle.

Firstly, I haven't a clue who dave9988 is.

Secondly, my grandmother and mother still shops in Tesco and most certainly don't nick things.

Read the thread again and use your common sense.

I suggest you do as well. Nobody says that your grandmother and mother nick things. Could they have done some shopping, have been told they had to pay for something at another counter, been caught short, gone for a quick pee, come out to continue and pay for the goods, and then.... I would suggest anybody could.

Maizefarmer

The best post here so far!!

[LivinLOS]

Sorry but I find it hard to buy this story..

Cosmetics in my tesco lotus can be paid for at BOTH the cosmetics counter and the final checkout.. They want you to pay for the cosmetics in the cosmetic section (like they want you to pay for electronics in that bit also) and then seal the bag, presumably due to high theft rates on relatively expensive consumable items that women want but often cant afford / justify.

To claim the rest of the story she would have to be really stupid (take items unpaid for, outside of the checkout, then not immediately go pay for it) and highly unlikely (what checkout girl would say "you cant pay for that here.. Please just take it out past the tills and walk off with it").. Theres just too many things that sound like Granny got caught pinching her anti ageing cream and hoped being old and 'respectable' would gain her enough status to get off with it.

sorry if it sounds harsh.. But thats my reaction from reading the details posted.

[jaiyenyen]

All the Tesco/Lotus stores I've been in have cosmetics/pharmacy counters INSIDE the store so I don't understand why the old girl couldn't have paid for the cosmetics, then gone to the checkout and paid for the rest of her stuff and then gone to the toilet.

If she has an incontinence problem maybe she should have stopped off at the Pharmacy counter for some rubber pants!!

I think Guilty M'lud

[Westerner]

The whole story sounds funny to me.... There is a police man in the family and no one called him before the 17 hours sentence? She called the family they came down to the station and then raised 20K only to find out it would now be 60K at no time during this money collection did they think...mmm I wonder if our own BIB could help out a little?

The story of how she got arrested sounds funny, the story of her sentencing sounds funny, the story of the bail money sounds fishy.... could this thread just be some trolling?

Definitely a troll. When do you ever see Thais shopping by themselves - especially 60 year old females!

[AndyBlueEyes]

Rule #1-Never confess to anything whether guilty or not guilty no matter how much evidence they have against you.

Rule #2-If you decide not to follow rule # 1, make sure that it is a plea bargain deal that you can live with...

Rule #3-If you decide not to follow rule #1 and rule #2 then you have nothing to complain about other than your naivety

[sassienie]

I should encourage my mother in law to shop at tesco more often

[ourmaninbangers]

<br />Sorry, I don't have anything helpful to add. Just wanted to wish you and your MIL good luck. <br /><br />It's completely nuts. <br /><br />Please do keep us updated.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

send me message if you need a top lawyer- he can do things

ask for store film footage

ask if she was cautioned at the time

let the lawyer advise you

although it a little late

my sincerest best wishes

thailand is not a 3rd world country

ha ha ha

[ourmaninbangers]

<br />All the Tesco/Lotus stores I've been in have cosmetics/pharmacy counters INSIDE the store so I don't understand why the old girl couldn't have paid for the cosmetics, then gone to the checkout and paid for the rest of her stuff and then gone to the toilet.<br />If she has an incontinence problem maybe she should have stopped off at the Pharmacy counter for some rubber pants!!<br />I think Guilty M'lud<br />

<br /><br /><br />

I " think"

I " assume"

can you be moore vague, less percise

its women suffering in jail here

and with this patetcily low set of standards you would pass guilt would you without looking any further

lets hope you never end up in the dick with your brother judging you

[yabaaaa]

Well I walked out of Homepro last week without paying for the stuff in my hands just clean forgot. i didnt get arrested the security guard just came up to us and pointed it out. Hahaah I was embarrassed but just went back to the tills and paid and thanked the security guard. Seri Centre branch Bangkok

[bino]

I can't help wondering if somebody wheeled the trolley out of the store while she was off???

I can see this happening- some other dishonest person sees the trolley sitting outside the ladies room with the paid-for blanket in a bag, figuring that all of the merchandise is paid and making off with it.

Old saying at home is "possession is nine tenths of the law". She was obviously not in possession of the unpaid merchandise when the security guard collared her, so exactly what evidence do they have?

Get a tv crew involved.

If the legal and police avenues don't pan out quickly, this would probably work too- bring some exposure and shame on Tesco. Find a reporter whose family has a "mom and pop soi store" that has lost business to Tesco / megastores. I'm sure they would love to have a go at them!

[MrHammer]

On Friday afternoon 4pm mother in law was arrested in Tescos charged with shoplifting.

Mother's story was that she paid for a blanket worth 500 baht at the check-out but was told that the cosmetics worth around a 1000 bt had to be paid for at the cosmetics counter. Now she was in urgent need for the restroom and parked her trolley with the yet to be paid for cosmetics with the intention of coming back to pay for them.

She came back and the trolley was gone so went and found a security guard to ask him where the trolley was as she has some things left to buy at which point she was escorted to the office. (If she had intended to steal then why would she go out of her way to locate a guard and the trolley instead of just leaving as no one had approached her?)

She explained the initial unsuccessful attempt at purchasing the cosmetics at the counter and the later intention of paying after the restroom and offered to pay all that was in her wallet - 3000 bt but the police were called. Tescos kept the paid for blanket.

She was taken to Prakanong station where she was allowed to call my sister in law and explained everything. Family go down to the station but are told it is too late to see mother but 20K bail was possible. Family muster 20K together and return to cop shop who now say its not enough and the bail would be at least 60K.

Family return Saturday morning only to find out that she had already confessed and been sentenced by the court to 1 month in prison where she is today. Apparently the courts are open half day on Saturday. No chance for bail or get a lawyer and no notification that she was going to court.

Mother still pleads her innocence and seems she was persuaded by the police to confess after which she was led to believe that a fine would be payable but it would be all over quickly.

Is there anything that can be done now as she has "confessed" and been sentenced by the court?

Whoa, tough luck buddy!

Hope everything worked out!

[mommysboy]

Well I walked out of Homepro last week without paying for the stuff in my hands just clean forgot. i didnt get arrested the security guard just came up to us and pointed it out. Hahaah I was embarrassed but just went back to the tills and paid and thanked the security guard. Seri Centre branch Bangkok

You were lucky! Time to lay off the yaabaa maybe

[LivinLOS]

<br />All the Tesco/Lotus stores I've been in have cosmetics/pharmacy counters INSIDE the store so I don't understand why the old girl couldn't have paid for the cosmetics, then gone to the checkout and paid for the rest of her stuff and then gone to the toilet.<br />If she has an incontinence problem maybe she should have stopped off at the Pharmacy counter for some rubber pants!!<br />I think Guilty M'lud<br />

<br /><br /><br />

I " think"

I " assume"

can you be moore vague, less percise

its women suffering in jail here

and with this patetcily low set of standards you would pass guilt would you without looking any further

lets hope you never end up in the dick with your brother judging you

We were not there.. So what else can we do but make guesses based on the sparse and illogical information you posted.. But it sounds like asian face saving lies to me, just an honest mistake, that I now have these cosmetics outside the store area.. Hmmm ok..

As to "ending up in the dick with my brother" I think I will pass on that thanks..

[Neeranam]

All the Tesco/Lotus stores I've been in have cosmetics/pharmacy counters INSIDE the store so I don't understand why the old girl couldn't have paid for the cosmetics, then gone to the checkout and paid for the rest of her stuff and then gone to the toilet.

If she has an incontinence problem maybe she should have stopped off at the Pharmacy counter for some rubber pants!!

I think Guilty M'lud

[guru]

Of course the story doesn't make it sense - it involves rural Thais, the MIB and the legal system. Just as Pai, nightclub and Mercedes Benz killers are getting on with their everyday lives doesn't make sense.

Obviously, the biggest mistake on the sister's part was not getting hold of the cop. He is not immediate family but an addition to an addition to the family and they couldn't contact the cousin with the link and phone number. Obviously, what wife and I would have done if we had arrived in Bangkok 24 hrs earlier and what they should have done if they had any sense was drive round to cousin's house, wake her up and get the cop involved asap. What they did was contact cousin for this info in the morning when it was too late, although they hadn't been told by the police that she was to be carted off to court at 9am and were under the impression they would have been able to see her in the morning. The cop said he could have done something if he had been notified before she was sent to court. He (as I ) are furious at young sister but sife says dont be too annoyed as she is only a kid at 20 years old. At what age do they mature?

I went to see another cop friend who also said the police can't help now the court had decided. By the way, he said, don't ever pay bail to the police as it is always higher than that asked by the courts. He also said, the fast track cell to court to prison is also not unusual as they are under pressure to wrap up cases like this within 24 hours.

Next stop - lawyer. Told him the story and he said whether the story is true or not, it is very diificult to do anything once the court has made their decision. He said, we will need the evidence and the cctv footage but Tescos won't show us, you will need a letter from the court and whilst this is straight forward it takes time and will take the 3 weeks she has left. He said the police did us no favours by fast tracking her as they knew family were seeking bail and coming to see her in the morning. To sum up, he advised us (her) to sit out the 3 weeks. Coincidentally, he also said his office is very busy at this time of the year with a lot of prosecutions. End of year crime statistics?

Next stop as I had nothing better to do this Christmas was Tescos themselves. I didnt expect anything but just wanted to check out the crime scene. The toilets are in the building but the wrong side of security gate. You have to go downstairs to exit the building. I casually asked if someone could tell me what happened and was met by half a dozen staff, manager and guard. The translator was polite and helpful but the manager was unfriendly and a little hostile in his questions to relating to who I was, why I wanted to know and my exact identity even though the translator had already told him who I was. The manager didnt know the circumstances and had to be fillled in by the guard who was also vague. He said no information whatsoever would be passed on to me and I would have to go and ask the police. He could have said all this in a more friendly manner as I and everyone else were.

Another thing I should add is that mum doesn't have an education and can only read and write 50%. Wife and sister have to help her with all documents she has to sign relating to banking etc. She also needs glasses to read the 50% she can. The police wouldn't let her have her glasses whilst in custody, even when she signed the confession. She just did what she was told.

The police told us she was being held in a light, remand prison so that eased things. Turned up on Monday to be told she had been transferred to Pathum Thani Prison which isn't nice. Went to see her to also get info but it was a nightmare. Loads of people shouting over at relatives some distance away and couldn't hear half of the things said. Her explanation was not of just casually nipping to the loo to powder her nose before returning but the ( sorry to be graphic) frantic dash to the loo as the number 2s was stating to make an appearance at that moment.

Yes the story could be a big lie and there is a first time for everything but without a history of crime or lies she has to be at least listened to until the evidence can be seen.

The blanket had really been bought as it had been seen in the station the Friday night but on the Saturday morning when they asked for it, the cops didn't know where it was. That was for the 85 year old grandmother for new year.

The family expect no less from the police as 21 year old female cousin was arrested for dealing pills. She admitted it and accepted the prison time. She wouldn't name her bosses out of fear for her family but was beaten black and blue until she named names. She was allowed bail and immediately ran to hug her parents as she ran out visibally beaten. The cops were smug but what do you do in a small provincial town which you share with the police?