Farang Murdered In Chiang Mai

[Paagai]

Heard reports that Thai TV news is reporting a Farang having been murdered in his house somewhere out on the Canal Road. Apparently by someone he'd taken home with him.

Anyone hear anything about this and can confirm it? Would be very shocking if the identity of the guy is who I've heard.

[sbk]

My husband got a breaking news sms on his mobile that the guy was English and found dead in his house.

[Blinky Bill]

Haven't heard the news but some guys take girls home and some guys take guys (who may or may not look like guys) home. The latter situation can be far more dangerous than the former.

But not always.

[chiang mai]

I am keen to know the name of the person, once verified.

[Paagai]

I am keen to know the name of the person, once verified.

Others have confirmed it's who I first heard, and that's exceedingly sad news as iots someopne who was talented, respected and known to many here in Chinag Mai. But I'm reluctant to name names without some official confirmation.

Blinky Bill's more dangerous scenario also seems to apply.

[ASHTONITE]

I saw the news... DAVID LYELL CRISP... from UK... evidently he was beaten to death during a robbery in his home... other sources said he brought a man home and events led to his death.

Truth may never be known.

[cmsally]

Thai Rath has a story.

Thai Rath

[taxexile]

roughly translating the article from thai rath ,

police and investigators found the body of david crisp , an english music teacher and songwriter , in his house. he had been dead for at least 4 days.

he had been beaten with a vase and his throat had been cut , there was evidence of a struggle and the house had been ransacked.

further investigation revealed that he had opened a restaurant in a quiet part of town and that he was a homosexual who regularly brought young men back to his room.

the police suspect/guess that the killer was a jealous lover or that he was killed as part of a robbery.

Edited January 22, 2009 by taxexile

[Paagai]

roughly translating the article from thai rath ,

police and investigators found the body of david crisp , an english music teacher and songwriter , in his house. he had been dead for at least 4 days.

he had been beaten with a vase and his throat had been cut , there was evidence of a struggle and the house had been ransacked.

further investigation revealed that he had opened a restaurant in a quiet part of town and that he was a homosexual who regularly brought young men back to his room.

the police suspect/guess that the killer was a jealous lover or that he was killed as part of a robbery.

Confirms what I'd heard, thanks. RIP David; many people will remember you as a real gentleman.

[bkkmick]

You can read more details in The Sun. Sounds like quite a strange life in Chaing Mai (and death).

Edited January 22, 2009 by bkkmick

[Rinrada]

From tonights London Evening Standard....(with thanks)

Expat murder in Thailand

Andrew Drummond in Bangkok

22.01.09

A BRITISH music teacher was found brutally murdered in the northern Thai capital of Chiang Mai early today.

The body of David Crisp, 56, was found shortly after 10am at his home on the Lakeland Estate. Police Colonel Pattipol Serichainchana said:

"He had beaten about the head with a teak mug.

His throat had also been cut with a six-inch knife and the murderer tried to finish the act off by smothering him in a cloth which covered his piano."

Police suspect the killer was a member of the Shan, a hill tribe which straddles the Burma-Thai border, as he appears to have performed a ritual invoking animist spirits.

Before leaving the murder scene, he smashed a ceiling light - a custom which Shan criminals believe puts police off their trail.

Mr Crisp, who was born in Derby, drove a BMW 5 series and a classic Citroen and was director of a choral society known as the "Spirit House" singers.

His housekeeper Prinjai Saedin, 73, said the Briton often visited gay bars and on Tuesday brought home a young man who has not been seen since.

[dinthailand]

RIP David. You gave so much to life - a real gentleman.

Your musical talents gave so much pleasure to all and expats particularly will miss the massive contribution your music gave to the city.

(and thanks to mods for removing the offensive post i reported)

let's all now pay our own tribute

[cmsally]

You can read more details in The Sun. Sounds like quite a strange life in Chaing Mai (and death).

I suppose we can all believe the Sun report, that picture they have used must be at least 20 yrs old.

RIP, a terrible way to go.

[miltonbentley]

Terrible news. May he Rest in Peace

More news stories here

[john b good]

Very sad news indeed.

I do think however that folk need to be more aware of the consequences of their actions.

BB made reference (in another post) to something along the lines of situation awareness.

Edited January 23, 2009 by john b good

[dinthailand]

Very sad news indeed.

I do think however that folk need to be more aware of the consequences of their actions.

BB made reference (in another post) to something along the lines of situation awareness.

it may have been just a robbery -see police report.

anyway, not an appropriate post at this moment in time.

a tribute to david may have been more appropriate. he did a lot for chiangmai

[Ijustwannateach]

According to the material cited in the Sun, the killer got away in a stolen car, and possibly took a safe (from drag marks seen). If anyone was aware that the victim had valuables in his house, that could certainly have been a big risk for him. I hope they catch the RIGHT criminal, and I hope other foreigners in CM and other parts of Thailand will learn from this story and be careful. There are reasons that many of the richer Thais live in guarded, walled estates with broken glass bottles lining the walls.

[adjan jb]

Was he a member?

[PhilHarries]

Farang brutally murdered in tribal ritual

CHIANG MAI: -- A British music teacher has been brutally murdered in Thailand in what police described as a tribal ritual.

David Crisp, 56, from Derby, was killed at his home in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, where he was a prominent member of the British expatriate community and director of a choral society.

"He had beaten about the head with a teak mug. His throat had also been cut with a six inch knife and the murderer tried to finish the act off by smothering him in a cloth which covered his piano," said Colonel Pattipol Serichaichana of the Chiang Mai police.

He said that police suspect the killer was a member of the Shan, a hill tribe which straddles the Burma-Thai border. A hill tribe ritual invoking animist spirits was performed by the killer to aid his escape.

Before the killer left the murder scene he smashed the ceiling light in Mr Crisp's office at his home, a custom which Shan tribesmen believe would put the police off their trail.

"Shan believe if they destroy the light the spirits will not see them and they will be harder to catch. The superstition has remained since electricity generators were introduced with difficulty into some hill tribe villages," said Col Pattipol.

"We believe the murder is of Shan origin because of the ritual of smashing the light. It appears the murderer made away in [Mr Crisp's] second car, a Citroen, which we have found, and may have taken a safe with him as there are drag marks outside his front door."

Police said that Mr Crisp, who often visited bars frequented by the city's homosexual community, had met a man on Tuesday and brought him home. The man has not been seen since.

Mr Crisp had been dead for at least 24 hours when his body was found on Thursday morning,

Col Pattipol said that police were concentrating their inquiries around the bars in Chiang Mai's night market.

-- The Telegraph, UK 2009-01-23

[cmsally]

The tribal ritual story, I think should be taken with a pinch of salt and didn't see it mentioned in the Thai article.

Has anyone honestly heard of Shan smashing lights after robberies to avoid capture.

I suppose simple robbery would be too boring for reporters.

There was another case a few weeks back (only in Thai press) of a Thai woman down in Sanpatong who was robbed, murdered and then they tried to burn the body. She was a money lender and some local youths knew what time of day she held cash at home. It was a group of local youths and just plain murder for cash. This could be much the same.

[Boater]

British musician murdered in Thailand

Youth from gay bar sought by police

CHIANG MAI: -- A British music teacher was found murdered with his throat cut with a 15cm (6in) knife, in his home in the northern Thailand capital of Chiang Mai today .

David Lyall Crisp, 56, from Derby, had also been beaten around the head and his killer tried to smother him with a cloth, according to police who are looking for a young man with whom Crisp is understood to have left a gay bar the night before.

Crisp was well known among the expatriate community. He also worked as a writer and music director. Prinjai Saedin, 73, his housekeeper, said: "I don't think he would ever harm anyone."

Two young men who were living at his house have since disappeared. There was speculation that they feared they would be blamed.

The killer is believed to have driven away in Crisp's Citroen and could have taken a safe from the property because there were drag marks found outside the front door.

Police Colonel Pattipol Serichainchana said the killer could have been a member of the Shan hill tribe which straddles the Thai-Burma border because the overhead light in Crisp's home had been smashed. This, it was claimed, was a tribal custom.

Serichainchana said: "Shan believe if they destroy the light the spirits will not see them and they will be harder to catch."

-- The Guardian 2009-01-23

Derby man found dead in Thailand is named

A DERBY man was today found murdered in Thailand

David Crisp, 54, was discovered with his throat cut.

Police said Mr Crisp, whose passport showed he was born in Derby, lived in Thailand.

He was a piano teacher who also ran a restaurant.

Thai police said he was found dead at his home in Chiang Mai, Thailand's second-biggest city.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said today: "We are aware of the death of a British national in Chiang Mai – we were informed by Thai police this morning."

He was found dead today at 10am Thai time (3am British time).

Police were alerted after neighbours noticed his car apparently abandoned. When officers went to his house and could get no reply, they managed to get into the property and found his body.

Police said the body had deep cuts to the throat and bruises on the head. At the scene, police found a six-inch knife and a broken jar, which could have been used in the killing.

Mr Crisp's body was sent to the hospital in Chiang Mai today, where doctors said an examination showed the man was killed two days ago.

Police said that his home had been looted.

The officer in charge, Police-Lieutenant Colonel Thanadon Noisuwan, said: "Someone called the police and said that the car was blocking the road.

"The car was parked at another gated community. A sticker on the car indicated that the car's owner did not live in that gated community, which raised the suspicion.

Pol-Lt Noisuwan said that officers had spoken to the security guard at the victim's gated community and the guard said that, two days ago, he saw two Thai men driving the victim's car, a Citroen, out through the gates and disappear.

Chiang Mai has a strong British ex-pat community. One tourist guide says it "has everything that Bangkok has but on a smaller scale and without the traffic jams".

-- thisisderbyshire.co.uk 2009-01-23

---

very sad

RIP

[Paagai]

The tribal ritual story, I think should be taken with a pinch of salt and didn't see it mentioned in the Thai article.

Has anyone honestly heard of Shan smashing lights after robberies to avoid capture.

I suppose simple robbery would be too boring for reporters.

The Sun is famous for following the journalists motto: "never let the truth stand in the way of a good story". What is sad is that's the tag line that's now been picked up in all the other reports.

The ritualistic killing bit is pure tabloid hype. Was just talking to some Shan friends and they were saying its not just a Shan thing but several other hill tribes, such as Musa (Spelling?) who believe in this and most don't take it too seriously.

The comments about the Shan (AKA Tai Yai) are also wrong, they are not a Hill tribe but the indigenous population from the Shan State in Myanmar http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shan. Of course, many of the villages there still don't have electricity, despite what the Sun says!

[uptheos]

The tribal ritual story, I think should be taken with a pinch of salt and didn't see it mentioned in the Thai article.

Has anyone honestly heard of Shan smashing lights after robberies to avoid capture.

I suppose simple robbery would be too boring for reporters.

There was another case a few weeks back (only in Thai press) of a Thai woman down in Sanpatong who was robbed, murdered and then they tried to burn the body. She was a money lender and some local youths knew what time of day she held cash at home. It was a group of local youths and just plain murder for cash. This could be much the same.

A sad story indeed and I totally agree that the Shan ritual story should be taken with a pinch of salt.

It sounds like an attempt to deflect the blame already, without any substance.

[StevieH]

what a sad story. never met the man but that's a tragic way to go. RIP.

[brahmburgers]

....be careful who you bring home.

rip, dude.

....same age as me.

Edited January 23, 2009 by brahmburgers

[steffi]

Clearly it's not only the Shan that know about smashing of the lights. Therefore it's not entirely out of the question that somebody is trying to make it look like the crime was committed by a Shan.

....be careful who you bring home.

rip, dude.

[aussiejosh]

Well i guess if you want to throw police off your trail in Chiang Mai smash a light and instantly they think its these tribes...

Edited January 23, 2009 by Jai Dee
Comments trivialising this serious issue have been deleted

[Jay4367]

Very sad indeed as David was one hel_l of a nice person and well liked by most, however he was known to befriend hill tribe and Shan boys and have them in his home. He had retired from his teaching job in Scotland and moved to Thailand little more than a year ago.

[Changian]

If the murdered had smashed a plate the police would probably have guests from a Greek wedding as top of their list of suspects.

[LevelHead]

If the murdered had smashed a plate the police would probably have guests from a Greek wedding as top of their list of suspects.

LOL - that cracked me up.

If it had been a Thai women suspected as the killer, no doubt the media hounds would be writing this all over the press, Thai bar girls are bad, stupid farang man killed by evil bar girl etc...

So, to help the process......

Bloody evil thai bar boys.

All these boys are after is money.

Serves him right for getting involved with Thai men.

Why do these farang men think they can come to Thailand and get involved with these boys ?

And so on...........