Dubious Dane Fined, Sentenced But Not Kicked Out Of Phuket

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Dubious Dane fined, sentenced but not kicked out of Phuket

Phuket Gazette

Danish tourist Morten Berthelsen (2nd from left) confessed to Phuket Police that he concocted the story that he was attacked by a gang of men on Kamala Beach on New Year’s Eve. Photo: Thawit Bilabdullar

PHUKET: -- The 18-year-old Danish man who was found guilty of falsely reporting a gang attack on Phuket’s Kamala Beach on New Year’s Eve has been fined 500 baht and handed down a two-year suspended jail sentence – but has not been deported.

An officer at the Phuket Provincial Court told the Phuket Gazette this morning that Morten Budtz Berthelsen, reportedly the son of a senior executive in Bisca A/S, the largest provider of cakes and biscuits in Denmark, was presented to the court on Thursday.

“He was found guilty of providing false information to a government officer and fined 500 baht and sentenced to two years in jail, but the jail sentence was suspended,” the officer said.

However, the officer said that he could not confirm or deny whether or not Mr Berthelsen was ordered to be deported or not.

Snr Sgt Maj Jaruwan Cheaynonsung, the officer at Phuket Immigration who is responsible for logging any court-ordered deportations, told the Gazette this morning that he had not received an order for anyone by the name of "Morten Budtz Berthelsen" to be deported.

“Looking back at our records for the more than the past week, we have received no order and have no record of a Mr Berthelsen,” he said.

The suspended jail sentence came after Kamala Police charged Mr Berthelsen with falsely claiming that five Thai men robbed him of valuables worth almost 150,000 baht on New Year’s Eve.

Mr Berthelsen reported to Kamala Police on January 1 that he had been robbed the night before. He claimed that after celebrating New Year’s Eve with his family, he had gone out alone to a nearby bar, after which he walked along Kamala Beach.

He alleged that during his stroll five men threatened to beat him if he didn’t give them his valuables, including an Omega watch with an estimated value of 95,000 baht, two gold bracelets valued at 20,600 baht, an iPhone5 worth 29,150 baht and his wallet, which contained his credit card.

After he handed over his possessions, the thugs threw him into the sea and fled, he claimed.

Police were suspicious of his claim due to a lack of clarity.

“When we questioned him about the circumstances and location where the incident took place, he talked confusedly and could not give us clear answers,” Kamala Police Deputy Superintendent Suphawich Suwanphirom told the Gazette.

Police checked CCTV images from the hotel and found that at the time of the purported robbery, Mr Berthelsen was actually at the front desk of the hotel talking with hotel staff, after which he went back to his room.

Police could see on the CCTV video that Mr Berthelsen was wearing the Omega watch.

“We showed him the CCTV image and he confessed that he had made a false report,” Lt Col Suphawich said.

Additional reporting by Orawin Narabal

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...uket-19888.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2013-01-07

[JetsetBkk]

10 quid fine? That's going to deter people from doing it again, isn't it!

Should've been locked up for a few weeks and kicked out.

Stupid boy.

[marioc]

"..... reportedly the son of a senior executive in Bisca A/S, the largest provider of cakes and biscuits in Denmark...."

always the same story: the more they've got, the more they want

[chowny77]

No wonder some serious crimes are never fully investigated if "rich, spoilt little shits" like this are wasting police time. Charge him 150,000 baht for wasting police time then maybe he will feel that he was robbed!!

[KarstenBoAndersen]

Let his ensurance company in Denmark know that he attempted fraud !!

I hope his father take hand on this !

I not think it is funny for his father to go on work, when all know his son is a simple criminal !

[Kananga]

Thats the official fine. Perhaps there was an unofficial one too.

Anyway, the 500 baht fine is still hundreds times higher than any dished out to the jet ski operators.

[Hedghog]

I think the BiB have full coffers today.

Tea and cakes all round.

[noob7]

Let his ensurance company in Denmark know that he attempted fraud !!

I hope his father take hand on this !

I not think it is funny for his father to go on work, when all know his son is a simple criminal !

Perhaps his father took hand in this?

It was a 'night crime', too!

So dark it is.

[sirchai]

“He was found guilty of providing false information to a government officer and fined 500 baht and sentenced to two years in jail, but the jail sentence was suspended,” the officer said.

Time to go to Dubai ---

[Phronesis]

I think the BiB have full coffers today.

Tea and cakes all round.

Yep...there will be many a happy Gik tonight

[Briggsy]

Mine's a Danish pastry.

[drtybstrd]

Well that takes the biscuit 500 bht fine ! maybe a smack on the wrist for the naughty rich kid would be the icing in the cake !!!

Edited January 7, 2013 by drtybstrd

[bender92]

10 quid fine? That's going to deter people from doing it again, isn't it!

Should've been locked up for a few weeks and kicked out.

Stupid boy.

Don't worry, he paid more than that to someone in power.

[Albacore]

I think I paid 500 baht to get my license back from the police department after I refused to pay the police a bribe at a tollway entrance for something I didn't even do.

[laobali]

I think the BiB have full coffers today.

Tea and cakes all round.

Danish cakes and biscuits for a change.

[oldsailor35]

“He was found guilty of providing false information to a government officer and fined 500 baht and sentenced to two years in jail, but the jail sentence was suspended,” the officer said.

Time to go to Dubai ---

sirchai, you are seriously sick ! you just cannot help yourself can you.

[CRUNCHER]

I think the BiB have full coffers today.

Tea and cakes all round.

Danish cakes and biscuits for a change.

Oh crumbs.

[bumpkin]

I think the BiB have full coffers today.

Tea and cakes all round.

Danish cakes and biscuits for a change.

Oh crumbs.

Why don't more countries have a zero-tolerance policy towards visitors convicted of crimes, deport them, after serving any custodial sentence?

I am sure some bright spark here will tell us, but if many more countries did that, nobody - rich or poor, guilty party or police authority, would have any doubts of the outcome. Sure, on some petty criminals it might seem harsh, but they made their choice.

[stoli]

Deprtation may have not been called for in this case, but what he got was not even a slap on the wrist. It is hard to believe that this youngster is an heir to a large company. They always say that the next generation will take down a family business.

[saroq]

No wonder some serious crimes are never fully investigated if "rich, spoilt little shits" like this are wasting police time. Charge him 150,000 baht for wasting police time then maybe he will feel that he was robbed!!

There are far fewer "rich, spoilt little shits" like this wasting police time than there are ignorant low socioeconomic yobs committing crimes that keep police busy. A stupid boy for sure but he and his type are not the cause of serious crimes not being fully investigated. Give him a fine that really means something and deport him, those things should happen so that he learns his lesson but to blame the lack of effective policing on these events rather than on the corruption and unwillingness of the Thai police force to do its job properly is wrong. Edited January 8, 2013 by saroq

[geriatrickid]

Deprtation may have not been called for in this case, but what he got was not even a slap on the wrist. It is hard to believe that this youngster is an heir to a large company. They always say that the next generation will take down a family business.

I am willing to bet that the father tore a strip off of the kid.

Don't assume that there were no consequences. Daddy was humiliated and I do not doubt that it cost to clean up his son's idiocy.