Phuket: Dane prosecuted for false attack report

Nattha Thepbamrung

The mean beach of Kamala. Or perhaps not... Photo: Google maps

PHUKET: -- A 19-year-old Dane, Morten Budtz Berthelsen, is due in court today accused of making a false report to Kamala police, in which he said he was attacked and robbed by a Thai gang at Kamala Beach.

Around 5pm yesterday (January 2), the Dane went to Kamala police station and reported that at about 1.45 am on New Year’s Day, after going to the New Year countdown he went for a walk along the sand, and was attacked in the darkness at the north end of the beach.

He said there were five Thai men one of whom grabbed him from behind while the rest hit him.

He said the gang stole his B95,000 Omega watch, a couple of golden bracelets valued at B20,600, an iPhone5 costing B29,150 plus a credit card in his wallet. After robbing him, he said, the gang threw him into the sea then escaped into the darkness.

After Kamala police checked beachfront CCTV footage and questioned beach vendors, the Dane was called for a second interview at Kamala police station.

Pol Lt Col Nanon Pitakkuntorn of Kamala police said that there several points that made Berthelsen’s account suspect.

First, the “victim” is “a big guy” about 180-190 cm tall, and police felt it would be difficult for a Thai to grab him and hold him while others hit him. There were also many people on the beach at the time, making it unlikely that he could have been attacked without anyone noticing.

A much more telling point was that police found that the tide was in at 1 am, and if Berthelsen had been walking at the north end of the beach at that time, he would have been neck-deep in water.

Officers therefore checked CCTV footage at the Swissotel Phuket, Berthelsen was staying with his family.

At the time he was supposedly being robbed, he was filmed talking with staff at the front desk, after which he went to his room with a foreign girl.

They also noted that they could see from the footage that he was wearing his Omega watch.

Presented with these facts and with the CCTV fooage, Berthelsen confessed he had made up the story in order to get a police report to make a false claim on his insurance in Denmark.

“This may not seem like a big story,” said Pol Lt Col Suppawit Suwanpirom. “But if we had not been able to prove that what he said was a lie, it could have badly damaged the island’s tourism image.”

Police in Phuket take a dim view of such reports. In July last year Australian Stevie Bamford served two weeks in jail after police were able to show that her claim she had been raped by three men in a tuk-tuk was false.

It turned out that she made the report in order to avoid the wrath of her boyfriend when she stayed out later than him in Patong.

In November 2011 an Australian couple, Abdul Karim Al-Rajab and Zeidan Nouha, were arrested for making a phony robbery report. Like Berthelsen, they were planning to defraud their insurance company. They were kicked out of Thailand.

Source: http://www.thephuket...eport-35972.php

-- The Phuket News 2013-01-03

it could have badly damaged the island’s tourism image

Think they must have a rubber stamp with that slogan on it somewhere.

He will get a nice new rubber stamp in his passport

DEPORTED

B95,000 Omega watch, a valued at

B20,600, couple of golden bracelets

B29,150 iPhone5

B144,750

Fine him B144,750 plus court costs, then deport him

Who's a clever boy then?

Who's a clever boy then?

More like...

This is the funniest part for me.

A much more telling point was that police found that the tide was in at 1 am, and if Berthelsen had been walking at the north end of the beach at that time, he would have been neck-deep in water

it could have badly damaged the island’s tourism image

Think they must have a rubber stamp with that slogan on it somewhere.

What image?

insurance fraud hub

This is the funniest part for me.

A much more telling point was that police found that the tide was in at 1 am, and if Berthelsen had been walking at the north end of the beach at that time, he would have been neck-deep in water

has the ring of a sherlock holmes thriller...:-)

Why didn't they just sell him the police report for 10k cash?

And again, CCTV footage is good enough, to identify people and even watches.

Must be a coincidence, in case Tuk Tuk, drivers are subjects, the quality of the images is too bad, or the CCTV is out of order, methinks.

That part of the image is never be seen, by the authorities!

Stupid kid!

Ashamed of having morons like this as my countrymen.

Being young is no excuse.

And again, CCTV footage is good enough, to identify people and even watches.

Must be a coincidence, in case Tuk Tuk, drivers are subjects, the quality of the images is too bad, or the CCTV is out of order, methinks.

That part of the image is never be seen, by the authorities!

Stupid kid!

Because it was CCTV systewm in a private hotel !

Not some public shit, where the police got 1 Million to buy camers for, they spend 500.000 on cameras and the rest in the pocket, and after a few months it is all down, as there was no money for maintiance etc.

How many cameras are there installed public on Phuket now ??? How many of them works 1/3 Max. i will guess !!

It is easy to get cameras there can see even the time on a wrist watch 50 M. away ! But such things cost money !!!

I demand a crackdown on this kind of thing.

it could have badly damaged the island’s tourism image

Think they must have a rubber stamp with that slogan on it somewhere.

What image?

Bravo - how clever to insinuate another snide anti-Thailand comment in this story - maintaining the usual Thai Visa membership standards.

You must feel very proud.

This must be his missus

"A much more telling point was that police found that the tide was in at 1 am, and if Berthelsen had been walking at the north end of the beach at that time, he would have been neck-deep in water."

Well, he is now...

This is the funniest part for me.

A much more telling point was that police found that the tide was in at 1 am, and if Berthelsen had been walking at the north end of the beach at that time, he would have been neck-deep in water

Well, he's up to his neck in s_it now. Stupid twit.

What an idiot, it is People's Like him make me feel ashamed about to telling that I am Danish.

Don't EVER let him in to the wonderful Thailand again.

it could have badly damaged the island’s tourism image

Think they must have a rubber stamp with that slogan on it somewhere.

Possibly true but in this case they did catch another fraudster so well done to them.

Give him 3 months in the Bkk Hilton. Rat turds for pillow mints.

What an idiot, it is People's Like him make me feel ashamed about to telling that I am Danish.

Don't EVER let him in to the wonderful Thailand again.

This kid doesn't represent you nor your country. Be proud of your Danish blood. A lot of great things has come from the Danish!

What an idiot, it is People's Like him make me feel ashamed about to telling that I am Danish.

Don't EVER let him in to the wonderful Thailand again.

This kid doesn't represent you nor your country. Be proud of your Danish blood. A lot of great things has come from the Danish!

pølser

In November 2011 an Australian couple, Abdul Karim Al-Rajab and Zeidan Nouha,

AUSTRALIAN???????????????????????

In November 2011 an Australian couple, Abdul Karim Al-Rajab and Zeidan Nouha,

AUSTRALIAN???????????????????????

Want to start an old discussion again? There really is no point in this.

First, the “victim” is “a big guy” about 180-190 cm tall, and police felt it would be difficult for a Thai to grab him and hold him while others hit him. There were also many people on the beach at the time, making it unlikely that he could have been attacked without anyone noticing.

A much more telling point was that police found that the tide was in at 1 am, and if Berthelsen had been walking at the north end of the beach at that time, he would have been neck-deep in water.

Strange, first they state that there were many people on the beach, and later that the beach was flooded.

In November 2011 an Australian couple, Abdul Karim Al-Rajab and Zeidan Nouha,

AUSTRALIAN???????????????????????

Yep. When we say we are a multicultural society here, that means names from other countries too. Not just people who look different. From the aborigines. The original Australians who have been here for about 40,000 years.

Publicity is bad enough at the moment without this nonsense

this guy should fry.......bad enough we have the real problems to deal with now we have this style of ''falang''in thailand...burn baby burn...