Australian Murder Suspect Arrested In Thailand And Extradited

[happyrobert]

One of Australia's most wanted men, who is suspected of killing a young Perth father of two, has been captured after almost nine years at large.

"I've been in Thailand all this time," he said.

From Interpol Wanted Poster :

Any members know him in the 9 years he's been here?

Yes, and he told me he had paid out over 70,000 baht after being stopped by Thai "police" 238 times in the past 9 years.

[moe666]

Life is not television where everything is wrapped up in one hour. In the states we had some old hippie weather underground on the run for over 20 years.

[DavidARoss]

Where did this Aussie get his passport I wonder and how did he renew it if he was here for 9 years. He wouldn't be married legally as that would draw attention to him and where did he get his money from??

[gburns57au]

"There is TB (tuberculosis) and HIV everywhere"

surely the faster he left thailand the more life he has after release from the australian prison and a smaller chance of getting hiv and aids, which are deadly. With a good layer in 5-10 years time he might be a free man, most probably those 8 months at hilton would not be counted to his sentence

If convicted he wont be free in 5-10 years.....trust me....He will be held on Governers pleasure as it used to be called. He will be a long time in jail

Edited May 5, 2011 by gburns57au

[gburns57au]

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

Maybe he was arrested on Immigrartion charges then moved to Klong Prem after they realised who he was and then the extradition process started....it takes longer than overnight to extradite someone.

[rodcourt49]

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.

..have you ever heard of the legal expression sub judice..why would the WA DPP reveal any facts and thus weaken their case..you may not be aware that media speculation is damning enough and can create an unfair situation both for the accused and the victim. PS It took about the same length of time to get Mr. Bin Ladin..the point is he was..geez what do you people expect..there are probably hundreds of people on the run from many countries at any given time..Interpol are a very busy organization..my two bobs worth

[electau]

First, he was not an Australian citizen and did not hold an Australian passport.

He was a citizen of the UK and would have held British passport.

Because the crime was committed in Perth, Australia he would have to be extradited by due process to face the charges against him.

He left for Indonesia before the WA police suspected him.Australian immigration would know the date he left Australia.

Once in Indonesia he would have travelled to Thailand. The British Police would have been notified,but that all takes time. Did the British or Australian police have any solid evidence that he was in Thailand? No.

He was put on a watch list with Interpol.

When questioned he would have revealed has nationality (when arrested) and placed in Immigration detetention.

The British Embassy would have been advised and the it would only be a matter of time before the Australian Police where notified.

(As he was a dual citizen he could have been carrying a valid Portugese Passport).

Edited May 5, 2011 by electau

[supaprik]

"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!

2 issues with what you say....1. The "alleged" murderer is NOT Australian and 2. murder is hardly "minor"

[Sparkles]

Its not dificult to "get lost" in Thailand or any other Asian Country.Many guys here have bank accounts in their girlfriend or spouses name,dont drive a car or motor cycle and don't report to Immigration. Behave yourself in bars ,keep your nose clean ,its unlikely you will be found.

[softgeorge]

"There is TB (tuberculosis) and HIV everywhere"

surely the faster he left thailand the more life he has after release from the australian prison and a smaller chance of getting hiv and aids, which are deadly. With a good layer in 5-10 years time he might be a free man, most probably those 8 months at hilton would not be counted to his sentence

If convicted he wont be free in 5-10 years.....trust me....He will be held on Governers pleasure as it used to be called. He will be a long time in jail

The Govenors pleasure pls it is the Australian judicial system he will be lucky if he does 7 yrs before parole. You get a longer sentence for marriage in Australia than you do for commiting crimes. I wish the Aussies took a leaf out of the U.S system where life means life in Australia life is 20 yrs and normally out in 15. This guy will not get life for a single murder.

[electau]

"There is TB (tuberculosis) and HIV everywhere"

surely the faster he left thailand the more life he has after release from the australian prison and a smaller chance of getting hiv and aids, which are deadly. With a good layer in 5-10 years time he might be a free man, most probably those 8 months at hilton would not be counted to his sentence

If convicted he wont be free in 5-10 years.....trust me....He will be held on Governers pleasure as it used to be called. He will be a long time in jail

The Govenors pleasure pls it is the Australian judicial system he will be lucky if he does 7 yrs before parole. You get a longer sentence for marriage in Australia than you do for commiting crimes. I wish the Aussies took a leaf out of the U.S system where life means life in Australia life is 20 yrs and normally out in 15. This guy will not get life for a single murder.

He did not help his cause by leaving the country, he may have been able to plead manslaughter and they may have been mitagating circumstances eg mental illness.

Now the US system of justice, there was just recently a US citizen convicted of manslaughter of his wife in a diving incident. He was convicted and served his time and was the deported to the US. He now goes on trial in the state of Alabama for the same murder.

The Australian government only allowed his deportation provided he would not receive the death penalty.

So much for US justice.

[asiawatcher]

At least he will get his day in a proper court.

Ha - and three squares, free dental, a TV, and a male girl friend!

[dunkin2012]

At least he will get his day in a proper court.

Ha - and three squares, free dental, a TV, and a male girl friend!

haha .............male GF.

life imprisonment is the alternative.

[Gonsalviz]

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.

10 + for Bin Laden.

[gburns57au]

If convicted he wont be free in 5-10 years.....trust me....He will be held on Governers pleasure as it used to be called. He will be a long time in jail

The Govenors pleasure pls it is the Australian judicial system he will be lucky if he does 7 yrs before parole. You get a longer sentence for marriage in Australia than you do for commiting crimes. I wish the Aussies took a leaf out of the U.S system where life means life in Australia life is 20 yrs and normally out in 15. This guy will not get life for a single murder.

You are wrong.

I think that as a current Prison Officer in Western Australia, I can assure you that he will serve a lot longer than you think.

[Sparkles]

"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

Its relatively easy to disappear in Thailand.Many guys here with a dodgy past do not a current visa or report to Immigration, Don't have a driving or motor cycle licence and have a bank account in their girlfriend or spouses name.Stay out of trouble very easy to blend in

[Buchholz]

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.

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!

For information purposes, last year's Hoolahan incident can be viewed in the topic:

Fugitive Scot Wanted Over Horrific Sex Attacks Is Tracked Down In Bangkok, On the run for 11 years over alleged double rape

[PlastikbinLina]

"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

Yes lots of questions such as already posed viz-a-viz immigration, bank accounts, car or bike license and just how did he survive financially? After all he is a relatively young man. And what about the Aus Fed Police. There's about 30 of them, I'm told, in Thailand posing as teachers and tourists so how come they didn't track him down? Great story. He should write a book and maybe he'll have time to so it if he ends up in prison.

[Buchholz]

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

Maybe he was arrested on Immigrartion charges then moved to Klong Prem after they realised who he was and then the extradition process started....it takes longer than overnight to extradite someone.

From reports, it sounds like Thai authorities did do checks on this guy and once they found out who he was, notified Australian authorities. That they had a murder suspect on their hands would explain why he was in Klong Prem for most of his confinement time here:

Anthony Carl Prestidge is wanted over the death of Andy Ball, 24, in Western Australia nine years ago but had evaded capture until Thai police arrested him on minor immigration charges on August 3 last year.

When they realised Prestidge was wanted for questioning about an alleged murder in Australia they alerted police and detectives in Perth began proceedings for extradite him.

Also correct, it does take longer than overnight to effect an extradition. It would seem that in this case, it took the better part of the 9 months:

Yesterday, nine months after being arrested in Thailand, he was returned to Western Australia.

Both quotes above from:

City-born murder suspect extradited back to Australia

The Scotsman - May 5, 2011

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Cityborn-murder-suspect-extradited-back.6762887.jp

.

Edited May 6, 2011 by Buchholz

[tropo]

amazing!!!..

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

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

A person has the whole world to hide in and you're amazed he wasn't caught?

The amazing thing is that he has been caught. The guy was probably feeling a bit too comfortable after 9 years and let his guard down.

[Buchholz]

Grieving family lived in hope

Continues:

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wa/9317353/grieving-family-lived-in-hope/

The West Australian - May 5, 2011

*Note: The continued article in the link references journalist and Thaivisa member AndrewDrummond being involved earlier in this case.

Perhaps Mr. Drummond would be so kind as to reply regarding that and today's event.

I'm still very much interested in reading any input Mr. Drummond has on this case, but I note he's been offline since before its occurrence. PM sent to request his input.

[Wavefloater]

"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 picked up on this quote as being ridiculous, as well. When you avoid the situation for 9 years, there's not much credibility left. His actions of fleeing Australia and hiding in Thailand for 9 years will make it very easy for the Australian prosecutors to sum their case up quickly and effectively.

Edited May 6, 2011 by Wavefloater

[tropo]

I picked up on this quote as being ridiculous, as well. When you avoid the situation for 9 years, there's not much credibility left. His actions of fleeing Australia and hiding in Thailand for 9 years will make it very easy for the Australian prosecutors to sum their case up quickly and effectively.

Having spent the last 9 months or so in Klong Prem Prison, he'll find prison life in Australia quite comfortable. He knew he was done from the moment the immigration police nabbed him last August. It is surprising it took 9 months for the Thai immigration police to connect the dots.

[sausageandmash]

<deleted>, he's not an Aussie, he's a Brit.

"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!

[andrewdrummond]

Grieving family lived in hope

Continues:

http://au.news.yahoo...-lived-in-hope/

The West Australian - May 5, 2011

*Note: The continued article in the link references journalist and Thaivisa member AndrewDrummond being involved earlier in this case.

Perhaps Mr. Drummond would be so kind as to reply regarding that and today's event.

I'm still very much interested in reading any input Mr. Drummond has on this case, but I note he's been offline since before its occurrence. PM sent to request his input.

I hope this helps

http://www.andrew-drummond.com/view-story.php?sid=391

[PepeLePew]

Any members know him in the 9 years he's been here?

I'm not 100% but I think I might have met him up north in 2008!

[andrewdrummond]

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.

Hoolahan is still very much around. He was wanted for rape but police had to drop the charges because they do not have the witnesses any more. Keeps emailing me to be his pal on quepasa.com whatever that is.

[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

Its relatively easy to disappear in Thailand.Many guys here with a dodgy past do not a current visa or report to Immigration, Don't have a driving or motor cycle licence and have a bank account in their girlfriend or spouses name.Stay out of trouble very easy to blend in

Ah but one day? One mistake? Don't upset the wife/GF What a life!

About 6months ago I was walking along the footpath in Ramkhamhaeng 2 Bang-Na. Two guy's and a lady came up to me. Asked me my name, I asked them why, they showed me their Immagration IDs. Told me they were looking for a Farang told me his name. I showed them my Passport. They there is not many Farang in that area, they said they had to check all Farang.

As this guy found out and so are others. You can only duck and dive for so long.

jb1

[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

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.

Don't get me wrong. I do agree with you.

jb1

[Buchholz]

Grieving family lived in hope

Continues:

http://au.news.yahoo...-lived-in-hope/

The West Australian - May 5, 2011

*Note: The continued article in the link references journalist and Thaivisa member AndrewDrummond being involved earlier in this case.

Perhaps Mr. Drummond would be so kind as to reply regarding that and today's event.

I'm still very much interested in reading any input Mr. Drummond has on this case, but I note he's been offline since before its occurrence. PM sent to request his input.

I hope this helps

http://www.andrew-drummond.com/view-story.php?sid=391

Wow ! It sure did. Written today, I see.

Thank you very much.

Just stepping out now, but have more questions about it when I return.

Again, thank you.