Swede admits to murder in Thailand

[webfact]

Swede admits to murder in Thailand
BY ANDERS HOLM NIELSEN

BANGKOK: -- A 37-year-old Swedish national is currently charged with stabbing an Australian to death in Thailand. The Swedish post Aftonbladet met with the Swede in prison where he confessed to having stabbed the Australian, claiming that it was out of fear for his own safety.

“The Australian and his gang had tried to kill me twice. The second time was a week before the incident. He did it because he owed me money, which I had been pushing for. I got a tip that they were going to try to kill me again. That day I saw the Australian and some of his friends at Khao San. There was a tumble, I went up to him and stabbed him with a small knife I had brought with me,” he explains.

Initially Swedish media reported that he had shot his victim but Thai police explains that this was a matter of “lost in translation” and that the murder weapon was actually a knife.

The murder was caught on a surveillance camera and the Swede is currently being held at the Bangkok Remand Prison, a part of the Klong Prem prison complex in central Bangkok. After reviewing the tape, the charges have been changed to 1st degree murder.

“We have a surveillance tape which shows the entire episode. When we analyzed it, it changed the charges. The Swede simply cuts him down. Legally, it looks very bad for him,” said a source from the police to the Swedish post Aftonbladet.

The Swede attacked first, but still sees it as self-defense.

“I felt so threatened by him that I saw it as self-defense. But it will be hard to prove. But I have several stab wounds on my body that I can show them,” he explains.

He adds that he did not have the money to simply run and hide and that it would be pointless to try because the Thai “gangsters” are in cahoots with the police.

Asides from being charged with murder he also lacks a residence permit and is staying illegally in Thailand. He man was born in the Stockholm area. In 2010 he was convicted of theft in Chiang Mai.

The penalty for murder in Thailand is somewhere between 20 years and death penalty. For foreigners the penalty is often up to 45 years in prison. Having confessed to his crime, the Swedish national will most likely have his sentenced reduced to half.

Read more details on the case and see the full interview here

Source: http://scandasia.com/swede-admits-to-murder-in-thailand/

-- ScandAsia 2013-07-01

[JetsetBkk]

"the Swede in prison where he confessed to having stabbed the Australian, claiming that it was out of fear for his own safety."

Is "pre-emptive stabbing" a defence plea?

[NongKhaiKid]

Will the most serious charge be being here illegally not using a .38 knife ?

[lemonjelly]

It would be helpful if there were a link to previous articles in this forum concerning this news to save people the effort of having to trawl through the FORUM HOME section…….

[bigbamboo]

Will the most serious charge be being here illegally not using a .38 knife ?

More likely not having a residence permit.

[Pib]

Funny how a surveillance tape can cause the accused to modify their story.

[Dararasmi]

Is it wrong of me to laugh at...and...actually enjoy farang on farang violence in Thailand?

[saroq]

Sounds like lowlife thinning out their own herd. Keep calm and carry on boys.

[PhilipCook]

unemployment is so low here, maybe its time to bring factories inside the prisons.

[Traveller45]

What do all those Swedish criminals come to Thailand anyway?

[boone57]

"ALRIGHT! Now listen buddy, you pay me that GD money you owe me so I can afford to run and hide from you or I will kill ya. GOT THAT?

[SteeleJoe]

Is it wrong of me to laugh at...and...actually enjoy farang on farang violence in Thailand?

Wrong? Well, it's pretty sick and pathetic.

"Wrong" or not, you've got issues.

[HeijoshinCool]

"the Swede in prison where he confessed to having stabbed the Australian, claiming that it was out of fear for his own safety."

Is "pre-emptive stabbing" a defence plea?

Funny how "pre-emptive strikes" work for governments ....

[cup-O-coffee]

Wow! Talk about really really poor decision-making. I almost feel embarrassed for him.

[fredKroket]

Throw away the key, we don't need this type of person in Thailand. One thing is for sure, if he has any intelligence it's an opportunity for him to write a book... (Just what we need, another Damage Done, Last Executioner, etc, etc)

[Bluespunk]

Is it wrong of me to laugh at...and...actually enjoy farang on farang violence in Thailand?

Yes.

[Always18]

"the Swede in prison where he confessed to having stabbed the Australian, claiming that it was out of fear for his own safety."

Is "pre-emptive stabbing" a defence plea?

Don't know about Thai law, but certainly under UK (and US?) law, a successful "self defence" plea can mounted if a lethal pre-emptive strike was made when the defendant was in fear of imminent life-threatening assault either directed at himself or another.......................

[mogo51]

Wow! Talk about really really poor decision-making. I almost feel embarrassed for him.

Perhaps he might be better off with the death penalty than 26 years or so in the slammer here

[crazykopite]

He will be back in Sweden in less than 3 years as I cannot see the Thais keeping him locked up after all he murdered another farang not a Thai !!!!

[user786895]

"the Swede in prison where he confessed to having stabbed the Australian, claiming that it was out of fear for his own safety."

Is "pre-emptive stabbing" a defence plea?

Yes it most ceratinly can be. In the UK

Pre-emptive strikes

There is no rule in law to say that a person must wait to be struck first before they may defend themselves, (see R v Deana, 2 Cr App R 75).

and

A person may use such force as is [objectively] reasonable in the circumstances as he [subjectively] believes them to be.^[4]

To gain an acquittal, the defendant must fulfil a number of conditions. The defendant must believe, rightly or wrongly, that the attack is imminent. Lord Griffith said in Beckford v R:

"A man about to be attacked does not have to wait for his assailant to strike the first blow or fire the first shot; circumstances may justify a pre-emptive strike."^[1]

(see pre-emptive strike in Wikipedia)

[robertson468]

Is it wrong of me to laugh at...and...actually enjoy farang on farang violence in Thailand?

Wrong? Well, it's pretty sick and pathetic.

"Wrong" or not, you've got issues.

Agreed!!

[LucidLucifer]

The Swedish Lee Aldhouse.....

[Longtooth]

"the Swede in prison where he confessed to having stabbed the Australian, claiming that it was out of fear for his own safety."

Is "pre-emptive stabbing" a defence plea?

Well, if it isn't, it should be. Pre-emptive strikes are considered OK for large, "moral" nations. The police radio dispatcher would say, "We can't send anyone now, you will have to call us after you have actually been shot or stabbed by this Australian."

[GoodWesternGuy]

Is it wrong of me to laugh at...and...actually enjoy farang on farang violence in Thailand?

Actually... yes. Especially when someone has lost their life. Would you like people to laugh if it was your son or brother? But then you are probably the kind of lower class Farang that has a serious infirmity in regards to cognitive reasoning.

[Billy The Kid]

He was caught on camera in 7-11 shop asking for a knife. That is a planned murder , full stop. I have no sympathy for the convicted swede, he should have left the pub and go somewhere else, plain and simple.

[Fullstop]

Throw away the key, we don't need this type of person in Thailand.

In that case, hang on to the key. They won't be able to get him out of his cell when they come kick him out of Thailand.

[rosst]

Is it wrong of me to laugh at...and...actually enjoy farang on farang violence in Thailand?

Only if you are not offended by Farang laughing when Thai attack Thai??

[dundee48]

Is it wrong of me to laugh at...and...actually enjoy farang on farang violence in Thailand?

Actually... yes. Especially when someone has lost their life. Would you like people to laugh if it was your son or brother? But then you are probably the kind of lower class Farang that has a serious infirmity in regards to cognitive reasoning.

How do you know he(she)is a Farang?

[Malthus101]

I don't get into situations where Australian gangs are trying to kill me so why did the Suede? Because he is "that kind of person". The Australian was scum, he is scum - it's OK if scum kill scum, it's natural selection.

Fine by me.

Meanwhile though, that pussy heir to the Red Bull dynasty walks free when it's well known by everyone that he killed a policeman and tried to blame it on a lowely Thai worker.

That's fine of course...

[Maggusoil]

Not a good week for the Swedes is it?

Jailed Swedish pornographers in the Philippines and here a would be self defence expert.

Life is obviously far too dull in Sweden.