Lee Chestnutt free to leave Thailand after dispute

BANGKOK: -- A man stuck in Thailand after a legal dispute lasting three years has been told he can now leave the country.

newsjsLee Chestnutt, of Pilling, Lancashire, was accused of criminal damage and stealing furniture by the landlord of a property he rented in Bangkok.

He was told the case had been resolved before Christmas, but the landlord said he would appeal the decision and his visa was blocked.

His mother, Pat, said the appeal was not filed in time and he could go home.

Full story: http://www.bbc.co.uk...ashire-21429943

-- BBC 2013-02-13

RELATED

Singaporean can leave Thailand after 3-year legal tangle ends

http://www.thaivisa....al-tangle-ends/

Glad to hear that this is now apparently closed. Clearly the landlord was trying it on by missing the legal deadline for the appeal, [after all he could hardly plead ignorance of the process could he?] and one must congratulate the appropriate authorities for seeing that and not permitting the [second] appeal to go forward.

I hope this is also the case for his partner from Singapore if I remember correctly.

Regards

And this was covered by the BBC?

<deleted>??

This has been on the news programes for some time in North West England.

They have been following the story, not good for tourism in Thailand.

They reckon the landlord was a homophobic con man thinking he could get some quick easy money but he had to continue in the face of overwhelming odds against him because he didn't want to look bad.

Artical sends out a clear warning for foriegners to be careful in Thailand.

Let's see if they can actually leave. They may face overstay problems.

Well, that's one farce off the legal books

Glad to hear that this is now apparently closed. Clearly the landlord was trying it on by missing the legal deadline for the appeal, [after all he could hardly plead ignorance of the process could he?] and one must congratulate the appropriate authorities for seeing that and not permitting the [second] appeal to go forward.

I hope this is also the case for his partner from Singapore if I remember correctly.

Regards

Could be...also possible that the press on the issue encouraged the landlord to abandon his appeal, as he may have feared more loss of face.

Glad to see someone follow through on this and not give in.

And this was covered by the BBC?

<deleted>??

It was covered by local area BBC News, what's wrong with that?

Landlords here are protected to the point of stupidity. Another example of the law here being an ass.

Landlords here are protected to the point of stupidity. Another example of the law here being an ass.

there is no law here..plain to see and simple to follow....the Thais know this oh so well.... unless they are connected they are afraid to speak..this is the legacy for their children of tomorrow.

Let's see if they can actually leave. They may face overstay problems.

No overstay as a legal dispute and he was blocked from leaving

Let's see if they can actually leave. They may face overstay problems.

No overstay as a legal dispute and he was blocked from leaving

I bet he still has to pay the 20,000bht overstay fine.

I hope he counter sues for loss of earnings.

Let's see if they can actually leave. They may face overstay problems.

No overstay as a legal dispute and he was blocked from leaving

I believe the extension of permission to stay is discretionary in these cases so it may not be clear cut.

I wonder how long this would have dragged on if it was not exposed in the media

good to see he got his chestnuts out of the fire

ok

My advice is as follows.

if you rent a place....set a 10,000 bath garantee sum in the contract( and forget about it ever returned)

If you drive a car (old or new) get a all risk coverage, it will save you from being dragged in absolute nightmares like this.

And this was covered by the BBC?

<deleted>??

Why wouldn't the BBC cover it?

This is really a shame that some Thai landlord on the "hustle" was able to upset this guy's life like that.

Yet, Thaksin gets to scarper. If I were Lee I would now name and shame the landlord publicly once he gets home, the guy was just being petty and abusing Thai law to inconvenience someone whom he couldn't bully in the courts.

Yes, good advice, when renting pay as small a deposit as possible, because often you won't get it back, or just skip on your last month's rent, make excuses, delay, then leave. Fully comp insurance is also useful here (damned expensive for motorbikes), usually when you're hit by someone else they plead poverty and expect you to let them off, or if it's your fault and you are 'rich' farang, they expect to extort money from you as a result.

I have always thought that farangs are considered guilty of any charge that is placed on them by a native.

Vindictive people carry a grudge to the grave. In think that in most cases brought like this by Thais against farangs they are appealed and can be dragged out for years by the plaintiff. Is it guilty at the time of arrest until proven innocent?

An eye opener to say the least.

Regarding insurance, what are the reputable insurance companies, and what can you expect to pay?

Insurance is only as good as the company backing it.

And this was covered by the BBC?

<deleted>??

Yes - are you surprised that they cover news stories about British nationals being treated like crap overseas? Now we just need the government to start standing up for its citizens more.

Edited February 14, 201313 yr by Baerboxer

I have always thought that farangs are considered guilty of any charge that is placed on them by a native.

Vindictive people carry a grudge to the grave. In think that in most cases brought like this by Thais against farangs they are appealed and can be dragged out for years by the plaintiff. Is it guilty at the time of arrest until proven innocent?

Agree - and natives can oftem make accusations based on a loss of temper. Once made, they can never be seen to back down and loose face. Add to that, the prevalent xenophobia and lack of rights for foreigners etc and it easy to see how cases like this happen. If your a foreigner, in most third world countries, it seems to be guilty as charged unless you can prove innocence which usually involves some for of financial exchange.

Let's see if they can actually leave. They may face overstay problems.

No overstay as a legal dispute and he was blocked from leaving

I believe the extension of permission to stay is discretionary in these cases so it may not be clear cut.

Yes - it seems everything is discretionary. That's it Briggsy you've hit the jackpot - Hub of Discretion

Let's see if they can actually leave. They may face overstay problems.

No overstay as a legal dispute and he was blocked from leaving

I believe the extension of permission to stay is discretionary in these cases so it may not be clear cut.

Yes - it seems everything is discretionary. That's it Briggsy you've hit the jackpot - Hub of Discretion

Indeed, conclusive proof of a crime is optional

Chestnutt Conkers! That would have been my headline.

And this was covered by the BBC?

<deleted>??

I imagine that the BBC covered it because of the growing number of cases of Brits (and other foreigners) being shafted in Thailand, often with the full support of the Thai police and legal system. It's good to shine a spotlight on cases like this and on all cases where corrupt Thai practices affect farangs.

And this was covered by the BBC?

<deleted>??

Why wouldn't the BBC cover it?

Because it's a boring story that hardly seems worthy of international news coverage.

This country does not seem to realize the level of intelligence is small to zero. A farang criminally minded person will go for years without getting caught here. Chiefly due to lack of forensic capabilities and relevant competent departments. One day these people will start going missing in large numbers, forget Darmer, Gacey, Bundy, they will look like school children if the wrong person gets rubbed up the wrong way. They do not seem to realize treating people the way they do will one day set of a ticking time bomb in some twisted mind. I also would not surprise me if the BIB starts to go missing around the country.

Landlords here are protected to the point of stupidity. Another example of the law here being an ass.

Not at all. I destroyed my cheating, lying landlord, financially and psychologically. Takes a good lawyer (and therein lies the rub) and patience.