Australian Murder Suspect Arrested In Thailand And Extradited

[sirchai]

"I want to come back to Australia to clear my name"

if he wanted to clear his name he should not run from the murder place and call police. Now he is forced back to australia and it doesn't look good for him.

after 9 years on the run probably his passport was expiring and no consulate would issue him a new one - hence emmigration problem in thailand. That on assumption he did not use some fake pass

Nine years is a pretty long time. Where did he get the money from to live in the LOS?

Can't open up a noodle soup shop as a foreigner here.........:jap:

[sirchai]

"I want to come back to Australia to clear my name"

if he wanted to clear his name he should not run from the murder place and call police. Now he is forced back to australia and it doesn't look good for him.

after 9 years on the run probably his passport was expiring and no consulate would issue him a new one - hence emmigration problem in thailand. That on assumption he did not use some fake pass

I've never once been asked to present my passport in this country even on a traffic violation. Show your drivers license, pay your fine or back hander and get your licence handed back. It wouldn't be very difficult to hide out in this country if you didn't want to be found. Don't believe he has an "official Thai wife" though as that's one thing where you need official letters from your embassy but with a sample they could be forged quite easily. If Bin Laden managed to hide in Pakistan only 50km from Islamabad next to a military academy with the CIA and whole world looking for him plus a 20 million USD price on his head I don't think it's that far fetched that a minor murderer (the Aussie) could fall off the radar!

You don't need to do Immagration then? Also don't have a bank account? Never stayed at an Hotel? What drivers licence do you hold?

jb1

You've obviously missed the point! If I was on the run I wouldn't do immigration I'd be hiding out either in a big city or a small village, I'd be using a bank account using someone else's name, most hotels never ask for ID if you pay cash or your with a Thai who presents their ID and gets the room in their name and I'm on an EU driving licence that's never been check over the radio nor in a police station for a traffic violation nor a roadside stop. I don't need to hide but it's not difficult to do so!

What about working for the Thai Tourist police as a volunteer? :jap:

[happysanook]

wait a minute... he was in jail for 9 months on a 'minor immigration breach'..?

and it took 9 months to find him...sitting in jail... australia obviously not looking that hard for him.

[pogal]

Ha! Easily beat that! I've been here 10 years already! 5555555

Weird but his face is so familiar! Have a feeling I've run into this guy before.... obviously not hard enough though! (assuming he's guilty sorry:)

[jimbeam1]

"I want to come back to Australia to clear my name"

if he wanted to clear his name he should not run from the murder place and call police. Now he is forced back to australia and it doesn't look good for him.

after 9 years on the run probably his passport was expiring and no consulate would issue him a new one - hence emmigration problem in thailand. That on assumption he did not use some fake pass

I've never once been asked to present my passport in this country even on a traffic violation. Show your drivers license, pay your fine or back hander and get your licence handed back. It wouldn't be very difficult to hide out in this country if you didn't want to be found. Don't believe he has an "official Thai wife" though as that's one thing where you need official letters from your embassy but with a sample they could be forged quite easily. If Bin Laden managed to hide in Pakistan only 50km from Islamabad next to a military academy with the CIA and whole world looking for him plus a 20 million USD price on his head I don't think it's that far fetched that a minor murderer (the Aussie) could fall off the radar!

You don't need to do Immagration then? Also don't have a bank account? Never stayed at an Hotel? What drivers licence do you hold?

jb1

You've obviously missed the point! If I was on the run I wouldn't do immigration I'd be hiding out either in a big city or a small village, I'd be using a bank account using someone else's name, most hotels never ask for ID if you pay cash or your with a Thai who presents their ID and gets the room in their name and I'm on an EU driving licence that's never been check over the radio nor in a police station for a traffic violation nor a roadside stop. I don't need to hide but it's not difficult to do so!

Oh, I see.

jb1

[Suradit]

I think we should have a Thaivisa "Most Wanted" gallery - as so many of them seem to end up here.

The police are missing a trick if they're not circulating these 'wanted' photographs amongst the expat forums in all the likely countries.

That requires thought + actually doing something and there's no tea money in it?

jb1

Do the police in Australia, UK and other countries with all these wanted people require tea money to do their job?

It certainly seems that committing horrendous crimes and then slipping easily out of the country is fairly common in the various outposts of farang-utopia. Of course then if the Thai police don't immediately capture these foreign miscreants, it's they who are blamed.

[JacknDanny]

Nowhere in the articles is it stated he has been in Thailand for 9 years....

"after spending nine months on remand in Bangkok's notorious Klong Prem prison following his arrest on minor immigration breaches"

Mr Prestidge told The West Australian that he had made a new life in Thailand since leaving Australia in 2002 and had a partner and six-year-old son. "I've been in Thailand all this time," he said.

[Derifo]

"I want to come back to Australia to clear my name"

if he wanted to clear his name he should not run from the murder place and call police. Now he is forced back to australia and it doesn't look good for him.

after 9 years on the run probably his passport was expiring and no consulate would issue him a new one - hence emmigration problem in thailand. That on assumption he did not use some fake pass

I've never once been asked to present my passport in this country even on a traffic violation. Show your drivers license, pay your fine or back hander and get your licence handed back. It wouldn't be very difficult to hide out in this country if you didn't want to be found. Don't believe he has an "official Thai wife" though as that's one thing where you need official letters from your embassy but with a sample they could be forged quite easily. If Bin Laden managed to hide in Pakistan only 50km from Islamabad next to a military academy with the CIA and whole world looking for him plus a 20 million USD price on his head I don't think it's that far fetched that a minor murderer (the Aussie) could fall off the radar!

About a hundred kilometers; and twenty-five million usd.

[jimbeam1]

I think we should have a Thaivisa "Most Wanted" gallery - as so many of them seem to end up here.

The police are missing a trick if they're not circulating these 'wanted' photographs amongst the expat forums in all the likely countries.

That requires thought + actually doing something and there's no tea money in it?

jb1

Do the police in Australia, UK and other countries with all these wanted people require tea money to do their job?

It certainly seems that committing horrendous crimes and then slipping easily out of the country is fairly common in the various outposts of farang-utopia. Of course then if the Thai police don't immediately capture these foreign miscreants, it's they who are blamed.

1/ No

2/ Is it

jb1

[Jirapa]

"I want to come back to Australia to clear my name"

if he wanted to clear his name he should not run from the murder place and call police. Now he is forced back to australia and it doesn't look good for him.

after 9 years on the run probably his passport was expiring and no consulate would issue him a new one - hence emmigration problem in thailand. That on assumption he did not use some fake pass

I've never once been asked to present my passport in this country even on a traffic violation. Show your drivers license, pay your fine or back hander and get your licence handed back. It wouldn't be very difficult to hide out in this country if you didn't want to be found. Don't believe he has an "official Thai wife" though as that's one thing where you need official letters from your embassy but with a sample they could be forged quite easily. If Bin Laden managed to hide in Pakistan only 50km from Islamabad next to a military academy with the CIA and whole world looking for him plus a 20 million USD price on his head I don't think it's that far fetched that a minor murderer (the Aussie) could fall off the radar!

About a hundred kilometers; and twenty-five million usd.

Don't nit pick!

[sydneyjed]

You might be surprised then chicken' by the number of people you drink or drank with that are wanted somewhere else!One I briefly did was George Hoolahan who was tracked down to Bangkok where he'd been living for nigh on 10 years...Known here as George Murray to most of his drinking buddies and on Cumbria's most wanted list and Interpols' ...wanted for 2 rapes and a 100,000 pound embezzlement he reinvented himself as an interior designer!A mate of mine still can't believe it!

I think we should have a Thaivisa "Most Wanted" gallery - as so many of them seem to end up here.

The police are missing a trick if they're not circulating these 'wanted' photographs amongst the expat forums in all the likely countries.

[softgeorge]

An earlier notice...

amazing!!!..

9 yrs to catch him.... very efficient , the process

a couple of things I didn't get from these articles.

Where about in Thailand he was?

why did it take that long to capture him?

how the guy with to kids was killed?..............i read the 1st article that the police, Western Australia didn't want to reveal it.

The Australian Police are just a little different to the Thai Police. In Australia if there is a murder scene or any crime for that fact the media, nieghbours and every passerby is not allowed into the area to trample all over evidence. It is not beamed live or pics of the body with investigators posing splashed in all the papers. I think I can say that all good investigators will only release certain details of a crime that will possibably assist the investigation. As we know this is not the Thai way as it is more about personal glorification and thier pictures on T.V or in the papers.

Dinkum I think you have been in Thailand to long and become acustomed to the Thai way of Policing.

As to why did it take so long to capture him. Ask yourself how many wanted people from around the world are hiding out not only in Thailand but S.E Asia and how easy is it to do so if you keep your nose clean. Then ask yourself how effective and motivated are the BIB at tracking down farang criminals when there is no finacial reward.

Edited May 5, 2011 by softgeorge

[softgeorge]

wait a minute... he was in jail for 9 months on a 'minor immigration breach'..?

and it took 9 months to find him...sitting in jail... australia obviously not looking that hard for him.

I would not be suprised if he was sitting in jail for a number of months on an alias hence the immigration breach, He would not have entered Thailand through the normal channels showing his passport and valid visa.

[bristolgeoff]

what was the minor problem he had with immgration to be arrested after 9years

[sirchai]

"I want to come back to Australia to clear my name"

if he wanted to clear his name he should not run from the murder place and call police. Now he is forced back to australia and it doesn't look good for him.

after 9 years on the run probably his passport was expiring and no consulate would issue him a new one - hence emmigration problem in thailand. That on assumption he did not use some fake pass

Guess that he wasn't using a passport...................:jap:

[softgeorge]

what was the minor problem he had with immgration to be arrested after 9years

Money?????? One has to wonder what he survived on and educated his child with. Maybe his money just ran out or his Thai partner refused to stop supporting him.

[zzaa09]

Nowhere in the articles is it stated he has been in Thailand for 9 years....

"after spending nine months on remand in Bangkok's notorious Klong Prem prison following his arrest on minor immigration breaches"

Interesting. As most minor immigration breaches and kin offences are not usually not subjected to Klong Prem.

[dunkin2012]

Nowhere in the articles is it stated he has been in Thailand for 9 years....

"after spending nine months on remand in Bangkok's notorious Klong Prem prison following his arrest on minor immigration breaches"

Interesting. As most minor immigration breaches and kin offences are not usually not subjected to Klong Prem.

yep... i got your point....

klong prem isn't the place to be for breaking minor immigration rules

[chickenslegs]

I think we should have a Thaivisa "Most Wanted" gallery - as so many of them seem to end up here.

The police are missing a trick if they're not circulating these 'wanted' photographs amongst the expat forums in all the likely countries.

That requires thought + actually doing something and there's no tea money in it?

jb1

Actually, I meant that the police in the country where the crime is committed should post a few photos of the suspect on some of the expat forums in the more favoured fugitive hotspots - such as Thailand.

[chickenslegs]

what was the minor problem he had with immgration to be arrested after 9years

Money?????? One has to wonder what he survived on and educated his child with. Maybe his money just ran out or his Thai partner refused to stop supporting him.

Or maybe getting support from his family back in England/Scotland or Australia.

[Jirapa]

wait a minute... he was in jail for 9 months on a 'minor immigration breach'..? and it took 9 months to find him...sitting in jail... australia obviously not looking that hard for him.

I would not be suprised if he was sitting in jail for a number of months on an alias hence the immigration breach, He would not have entered Thailand through the normal channels showing his passport and valid visa.

I thought he was Scottish in which case he'd have entered on a UK passport and you don't need a visa to enter Thailand as you can get a 1 month visa on entry at the airport. Probably the same for Australians as they're part of the commonwealth? Report seems to say he split the country quite quick so there probably wasn't even a search warrant out for him when he was sitting on the plane.

[ozzieovaseas]

wait a minute... he was in jail for 9 months on a 'minor immigration breach'..?

and it took 9 months to find him...sitting in jail... australia obviously not looking that hard for him.

Dont worry about the Aussies negligence in not looking for him......for the whole 9 months he was in the hilton the Thai authorities must'nt have done any checks on the guy whatsoever, since they obviously didnt know who he was....and they had already been handed all the information on him years earlier

[ib1b4]

It took even longer to find Ronald Biggs, the Great Train Robber. For years I passed through the neighbourhood where he had made his "new life" in Melbourne, Australia. Even then he got away and, as you know, spent the rest of his healthy years in Brazil. But now, I wonder about the other 2 farang in my rural town of 9000. I am the only one who walks and talks openly in the community, my girlfriend (ex-girlfriend) being a prominent business person, I'm no secret, and have nothing to be secretive about. I tried talking to one of these other two, when he showed up at the shop where I was looking in vein for a litre of milk. He waved me off, faining some sought non-comprehension, deafness? Mute? It was quite a show, a brief, 5 second performance and he was gone. Now, .. I wonder who he really is. But you know what? I don't wanna know. ;-)

Ah, so you have had that same experiance as I have had on the odd occasion, the first time i went back to my car and looked into the mirror to see if I had two heads.

[ozzieovaseas]

wait a minute... he was in jail for 9 months on a 'minor immigration breach'..?

and it took 9 months to find him...sitting in jail... australia obviously not looking that hard for him.

I would not be suprised if he was sitting in jail for a number of months on an alias hence the immigration breach, He would not have entered Thailand through the normal channels showing his passport and valid visa.

It would be my guess that he didnt even have or need an alias, probably made his way to LOS before things got to heated and dissapeared into a quiet village life somewhere. Probably bided his time until the passport expired, destroyed it, and was caught out on a long overstay somehwere.

The poster that wondered about his access to cash has a valid point....Even if he was well cashed up before he left Oz you would think the Oz authorities would have been able to freeze any accounts that he held.

It would be interesting to know under what cicumstances he was arrested. The BiB certainly werent aware of who they had.

[dunkin2012]

An earlier notice...

amazing!!!..

9 yrs to catch him.... very efficient , the process

a couple of things I didn't get from these articles.

Where about in Thailand he was?

why did it take that long to capture him?

how the guy with to kids was killed?..............i read the 1st article that the police, Western Australia didn't want to reveal it.

The Australian Police are just a little different to the Thai Police. In Australia if there is a murder scene or any crime for that fact the media, nieghbours and every passerby is not allowed into the area to trample all over evidence. It is not beamed live or pics of the body with investigators posing splashed in all the papers. I think I can say that all good investigators will only release certain details of a crime that will possibably assist the investigation. As we know this is not the Thai way as it is more about personal glorification and thier pictures on T.V or in the papers.

Dinkum I think you have been in Thailand to long and become acustomed to the Thai way of Policing.

As to why did it take so long to capture him. Ask yourself how many wanted people from around the world are hiding out not only in Thailand but S.E Asia and how easy is it to do so if you keep your nose clean. Then ask yourself how effective and motivated are the BIB at tracking down farang criminals when there is no finacial reward.

I think Thai is the only country that expose the dead bodies to the papers...

Been to Aust a few times. I have a rough idea of how it is. but not the investigation of course.

comparing him with OBL..

OBL, a pricetage = $25M 'd been on the run for 10yrs. The guy was close to that.

OBL case 's implies that Pakistani Gov. was aware of the existing. this poor Farang maybe without a proper job entered Thailand 9 years ago. didn't They have any clue of his presence?

I can recall that at the immi. they took a foto of every dude ....before entering the country...

i don't blame the Aussie police for that the local BiB maybe..... no tea money then no work progress....

do you remember the guy named Luke Michelle it didn't take too long to catch those 2 Thai devils?

there is a little difference between Melbourne and Perth though.

[rich54321]

to all - once back in Auss he will - on home soil he will get a lesser hardship sentence - hes not so daft - is he?

- for all those - falling off the radar!!!? what does that take? keeping quiet and carrying on life as normal - easy isnt it ????? there are many doing it - even the ones who you think are here for what evr reason they tell you - easy to believe!

cor blimey mate - there are thousands!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ere!

[Jirapa]

An earlier notice...

amazing!!!..

9 yrs to catch him.... very efficient , the process

a couple of things I didn't get from these articles.

Where about in Thailand he was?

why did it take that long to capture him?

how the guy with to kids was killed?..............i read the 1st article that the police, Western Australia didn't want to reveal it.

The Australian Police are just a little different to the Thai Police. In Australia if there is a murder scene or any crime for that fact the media, nieghbours and every passerby is not allowed into the area to trample all over evidence. It is not beamed live or pics of the body with investigators posing splashed in all the papers. I think I can say that all good investigators will only release certain details of a crime that will possibably assist the investigation. As we know this is not the Thai way as it is more about personal glorification and thier pictures on T.V or in the papers.

Dinkum I think you have been in Thailand to long and become acustomed to the Thai way of Policing.

As to why did it take so long to capture him. Ask yourself how many wanted people from around the world are hiding out not only in Thailand but S.E Asia and how easy is it to do so if you keep your nose clean. Then ask yourself how effective and motivated are the BIB at tracking down farang criminals when there is no finacial reward.

I think Thai is the only country that expose the dead bodies to the papers...

Been to Aust a few times. I have a rough idea of how it is. but not the investigation of course.

comparing him with OBL..

OBL, a pricetage = $25M 'd been on the run for 10yrs. The guy was close to that.

OBL case 's implies that Pakistani Gov. was aware of the existing. this poor Farang maybe without a proper job entered Thailand 9 years ago. didn't They have any clue of his presence?

I can recall that at the immi. they took a foto of every dude ....before entering the country...

i don't blame the Aussie police for that the local BiB maybe..... no tea money then no work progress....

do you remember the guy named Luke Michelle it didn't take too long to catch those 2 Thai devils?

there is a little difference between Melbourne and Perth though.

It's not that easy to catch someone once they flee the country where the crime was committed. It's only a murder and thousands of them happen everyday globally so although it may have been big news in Australia at the time those in the rest of the world have been blind to it. Bin Laden killed thousands and it took 10 years to catch him despite the whole world knowing what he looked like and the crimes he'd committed and a 20+ million USD reward. This Scot/Aussie is a nobody and the fact he's been caught by Thai authorities is unbelievable as there's thousands of people like him all over the world many of which manage to hide away in their own countries. I don't get the big surprise and all the finger pointing of blame as we're 9 billion in this world so it's not that easy to hunt someone down who's intent on staying under the radar. Most murders are never solved and most murderers never get caught so I think Thailand should be given at least some credit. Think about it!

[WhisperingJack]

Nowhere in the articles is it stated he has been in Thailand for 9 years....

"after spending nine months on remand in Bangkok's notorious Klong Prem prison following his arrest on minor immigration breaches"

"Mr Prestidge told The West Australian that he had made a new life in Thailand since leaving Australia in 2002 and had a partner and six-year-old son. "I've been in Thailand all this time," he said."

[khaowong1]

I think we should have a Thaivisa "Most Wanted" gallery - as so many of them seem to end up here.

The police are missing a trick if they're not circulating these 'wanted' photographs amongst the expat forums in all the likely countries.

The Thai police miss a lot of tricks. They already think they know everything, why would they ask help from farangs. Face .. above all.

[kaorop]

How do people like that make new lives? i assume it could only be money has a wife, a kid and claims it as a negating factor. "well look at me now, i'm all reformed and stuff" I must be naive but i cant understand how it happens! Once a turd always ...