Thai honey trap fear: Starving brain-damaged Scot banged up after he's found near dead

[Boater]

WILLIAM Crook travelled to Pattaya with £4000 savings to see a girlfriend. When he was found on the beach all his money and possessions –including his plane ticket home – were gone.

A BRAIN-DAMAGED Scot is being held in a Thai jail after he was found starving and destitute on a beach.

William Crook travelled to Pattaya with £4000 savings to see a girlfriend.

When he was found on the beach, he weighed just 6st. All his money and possessions –including
his plane ticket home – were gone.

Mother Margaret believes William, who has a mental age of 12, was taken advantage of because of his disabilities.

She said: “I’m terrified about what has happened and what could happen.”

William, 43, left his Glasgow home for Thailand seven months ago.

Charity shop worker Margaret, of Shawlands, said she first feared for her son when a woman answered his mobile phone and asked for money.

Three weeks ago, the mum got a call from the British consulate, informing her that William had been found in a bad way.

She said: “I believe he has been starving for months.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/thai-honey-trap-fear-starving-3746288

[smokie36]

What is most appalling is that no one has thought to look for him for seven months.

Very sad indeed.

[ClutchClark]

Hopefully, the man can be returned home to Scotland and be cared for.

Most any farang would be starved if they attempted to live for 7 months on the equivalent of £4,000. Especially if supporting a girlfriend as well.

[GuestHouse]

Perhaps one of the 'Farang Beggers' that so many TVF members cannot help but go into a self righteous rant against.

[anto]

Sad .Hope he is not let rot in a Thai prison.

[CharlieH]

Why is his mother or any other relative allowing someone with the mental capacity of a 12 yr old travel to the other side of the world alone?

Would you give £4k to a 12 year old ?, I doubt it,

[kingalfred]

Mental age of 12 and allowed to leave " home " to travel 5000 miles to Thailand? Words fail me.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Seastallion]

Mental age of 12 but allowed to get a passport and travel alone with 4000 gbp, then the mother waits 7 months...actually waited 7 months but was only prompted to question the situation when a woman asked for money.

99.99% responsibility for the current situation her son is in lies with her. My bet is she's the Scottish version of trailer trash and looking now to cash in on sympathy donations.

[Seastallion]

Oh...and the headline...it was not a "honey trap"

[CharlieH]

There are far more questions than answers to this, it has been sensationalized and I suspect is grossly inaccurate to actual events and circumstances.

[ClutchClark]

Mental age of 12 but allowed to get a passport and travel alone with 4000 gbp, then the mother waits 7 months...actually waited 7 months but was only prompted to question the situation when a woman asked for money.

99.99% responsibility for the current situation her son is in lies with her. My bet is she's the Scottish version of trailer trash and looking now to cash in on sympathy donations.

Its quite likely the mother has a learning disability as well.

[mesquite]

What kind of people would take advantage of a mentally handicapped person? True predators as you might find in Pattaya.

But I once saw a version of this type of thing in the US. About 40 years ago my buddies and I frequented a strip joint there. One night I noticed all the girls not dancing were hovering around one man right by the stage. There must have been 5 of them. The man appeared to be mentally handicapped and he was giving the girls $20 bills right and left. They were trying to hide the money exchange, but we saw it. They must have known he was mentally handicapped, as it was obvious by his body language, and they moved in for the "kill". Never saw him again.

[snottgoblin]

This is not trying to be self righteous, but why has a person with a mental capacity of 12 been issued with a passport?

A lot of holes in this story, will be interesting if the truth ever gets out. However, there are plenty of others with no excuse that have ended up the same way.

[Seastallion]

Mental age of 12 but allowed to get a passport and travel alone with 4000 gbp, then the mother waits 7 months...actually waited 7 months but was only prompted to question the situation when a woman asked for money.

99.99% responsibility for the current situation her son is in lies with her. My bet is she's the Scottish version of trailer trash and looking now to cash in on sympathy donations.

Its quite likely the mother has a learning disability as well.

I empathise with your generosity of spirit but the headline stated he was brain damaged, not learning disabled.

[Issangeorge]

Hopefully, the man can be returned home to Scotland and be cared for.

Most any farang would be starved if they attempted to live for 7 months on the equivalent of £4,000. Especially if supporting a girlfriend as well.

That works out to just under ฿30,000 a month about the same as an Isaan English teacher. They manage to live okay on that, even the ones with girlfriends.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Soutpeel]

This is not trying to be self righteous, but why has a person with a mental capacity of 12 been issued with a passport?

A lot of holes in this story, will be interesting if the truth ever gets out. However, there are plenty of others with no excuse that have ended up the same way.

Further if the guy had the mental age of 12 why did his mother let him go in the first place ?..... Surely in this case its his mother who should have been looking after him, would a responsible parent allow a 12 year old to take 4000 quid and get on plane and fly 10000 miles to another country ? Edited June 23, 2014 by Soutpeel

[snottgoblin]

This is not trying to be self righteous, but why has a person with a mental capacity of 12 been issued with a passport?

A lot of holes in this story, will be interesting if the truth ever gets out. However, there are plenty of others with no excuse that have ended up the same way.

Further if the guy had the mental age of 12 why did his mother let him go in the first place ?..... Surely in this case its his mother who should have been looking after him, would a responsible parent allow a 12 year old to take 4000 quid and get on plane and fly 10000 miles to another country ?

Correct, and if this is the case then the mother could also be in a world of sh*t with the authorities.

Maybe, it was WUS and he's finally been found?

[daveAustin]

Most any farang would be starved if they attempted to live for 7 months on the equivalent of £4,000.

Quite easily actually. We don't all have to pay for it.

[ClutchClark]

Hopefully, the man can be returned home to Scotland and be cared for.

Most any farang would be starved if they attempted to live for 7 months on the equivalent of £4,000. Especially if supporting a girlfriend as well.

That works out to just under ฿30,000 a month about the same as an Isaan English teacher. They manage to live okay on that, even the ones with girlfriends.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Darn, and I thought I was frugal ;-)

How does a teacher make it?

I guess if this feller wasn't staying in hotels and had signed a year lease then his monthly expenses would be less than I factored for.

[ClutchClark]

Most any farang would be starved if they attempted to live for 7 months on the equivalent of £4,000.

Quite easily actually. We don't all have to pay for it.

Dave,

Try again pal, happily married to a nice Thai wife for 2 years now. I still have expenses even though she has only one son still in college. Both her folks are still living--good people.

Fact is, you pay for it one way or another and anyone that suggests otherwise is forgetting he isn't bragging to his mates back home...here we all know better ;-)

Edited June 23, 2014 by ClutchClark

[ClutchClark]

Mental age of 12 but allowed to get a passport and travel alone with 4000 gbp, then the mother waits 7 months...actually waited 7 months but was only prompted to question the situation when a woman asked for money.

99.99% responsibility for the current situation her son is in lies with her. My bet is she's the Scottish version of trailer trash and looking now to cash in on sympathy donations.

Its quite likely the mother has a learning disability as well.

I empathise with your generosity of spirit but the headline stated he was brain damaged, not learning disabled.

Point taken but I always read these articles with a healthy dose of liberal interpretation.

Unless the article clearly indicated brain damage as a result of a specific accident/injury then I don't take it for granted.

[Beetlejuice]

There are far more questions than answers to this, it has been sensationalized and I suspect is grossly inaccurate to actual events and circumstances.

I agree and just like too many of these reports they always leave us with many doubts and inconsistencies in the stories.

I suppose this means we can never take these reports at their face value and considering there are rarely any updates to these news articles, the so-called facts of these cases can never be given any credibility.

[ClutchClark]

What kind of people would take advantage of a mentally handicapped person? True predators as you might find in Pattaya.

But I once saw a version of this type of thing in the US. About 40 years ago my buddies and I frequented a strip joint there. One night I noticed all the girls not dancing were hovering around one man right by the stage. There must have been 5 of them. The man appeared to be mentally handicapped and he was giving the girls $20 bills right and left. They were trying to hide the money exchange, but we saw it. They must have known he was mentally handicapped, as it was obvious by his body language, and they moved in for the "kill". Never saw him again.

Oh it happens in the States, for sure.

You should see the way nursing home staff steal from the elderly patients.

And how caregiver nurses pilfer all they can on home visits.

And how relatives issued "Power of Attorney" clean out lifetime savings account as fast as any politician dipping into SS.

Turns your stomach how the elderly are preyed on.

[benalibina]

Perhaps one of the 'Farang Beggers' that so many TVF members cannot help but go into a self righteous rant against.

+1

[ppmacready]

Why is his mother or any other relative allowing someone with the mental capacity of a 12 yr old travel to the other side of the world alone?

Would you give £4k to a 12 year old ?, I doubt it,

Ditto!

Many guys can't survive here, even with an adult mentality.

[thailiketoo]

What kind of people would take advantage of a mentally handicapped person? True predators as you might find in Pattaya.

But I once saw a version of this type of thing in the US. About 40 years ago my buddies and I frequented a strip joint there. One night I noticed all the girls not dancing were hovering around one man right by the stage. There must have been 5 of them. The man appeared to be mentally handicapped and he was giving the girls $20 bills right and left. They were trying to hide the money exchange, but we saw it. They must have known he was mentally handicapped, as it was obvious by his body language, and they moved in for the "kill". Never saw him again.

Oh it happens in the States, for sure.

You should see the way nursing home staff steal from the elderly patients.

And how caregiver nurses pilfer all they can on home visits.

And how relatives issued "Power of Attorney" clean out lifetime savings account as fast as any politician dipping into SS.

Turns your stomach how the elderly are preyed on.

Agree.

Next time someone tells you about great health care in the USA; google fire ants in nursing homes.

Edited June 24, 2014 by thailiketoo

[Seastallion]

Mental age of 12 but allowed to get a passport and travel alone with 4000 gbp, then the mother waits 7 months...actually waited 7 months but was only prompted to question the situation when a woman asked for money.

99.99% responsibility for the current situation her son is in lies with her. My bet is she's the Scottish version of trailer trash and looking now to cash in on sympathy donations.

Its quite likely the mother has a learning disability as well.

I empathise with your generosity of spirit but the headline stated he was brain damaged, not learning disabled.

Point taken but I always read these articles with a healthy dose of liberal interpretation.

Unless the article clearly indicated brain damage as a result of a specific accident/injury then I don't take it for granted.

Point taken,.......The article didn't show a copy of the lad's birth certificate either, so how do we know the woman is actually his mother? We didn't see the phone bill either, so maybe it wasn't a phone call but a letter that the "mother" sent?

Maybe the lad is not a male but a female? That birth certificate sure would be handy.

Some things we should take for granted.

[anto]

A few facts that i gleaned from reading the article that others seem to have missed.

He has a supposed mental age of 12 because he was injured in an accident .

He was free to travel on his own because he is no longer a minor ,whatever about his mental state .He had been to Thailand several times before .

His mother is elderly and works in a Charity shop .( gets no pay ).

The British Embassy dont give a shit about anyone once you leave the Country.

Summary ,It sounds like a genuine case to me .

Edited June 24, 2014 by anto

[infinity11]

IN JAIL????

[MichaelJackson]

Media hype and as always its the wicked wicked people in Thailand. Not the irresponsible guardians of the poor guy.

Boring predictable gutter press.