Disabled Scot claims he was battered by Thai prison guards after being left starving and penniless

[Rimmer]

Disabled Scot claims he was battered by Thai prison guards after being left starving and penniless on beach

PATTAYA:--A DISABLED man claims he was beaten bloody by Thai prison guards after he was left starving and penniless on a beach.

Brain-damaged William Crook says he was flung in jail alongside murderers and terrorists after overstaying his visa.

He had been sleeping rough and living out of his suitcase for months after a cash machine swallowed his bank card and he lost his plane ticket home.

The Foreign Office are to investigate the Glasgow man’s claim he was beaten with sticks by his captors.

William – who was left with paralysis after an attack 15 years ago – said: “I had heard about Thai prisons being ruthless but this was awful. There was nowhere to sleep and it was very hostile.

 

“I’m paralysed down one side but we had to lie curled up on the floor. I tried to tell them I was disabled but they didn’t do anything.

 

“I made a friend who told me to stay away from certain people – he said people die there all the time.

 

“One day, I didn’t want to get my hair cut because I don’t like people seeing my scars from my injury. I was dragged out by two guards and beaten with sticks. They burst my head open.

 

“I was made to feel like the worst criminal but I had only overstayed by about 10 days and that wasn’t my fault.

 

“I didn’t know if anyone was going to help me.”

William, 43, is now back home in Shawlands after his mum Margaret, 61, paid for his flight.

 

Full story:http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/disabled-scot-claims-battered-thai-3924451

DAILY RECORD

[mataleo]

This story is sick.
Just 10 days overstay man.

Really wird.
They put him with criminals instead overstayers...

[konying]

He had been sleeping rough and living out of his suitcase for months after a cash machine swallowed his bank card and he lost his plane ticket home.
 

Nice try...
He should never have left Govan methinks.

Why is that?

Should disabled people be caged? All because some Thai are too lazy to do their job?

[stuurman]

I feel sorry for the guy and glad he is home again but how can you lose a plane ticket? Aren't they all e-tickets nowadays?

[harrry]

Bit strange the British Consulate did not react when they found he was being shuttled from place to place to keep him away from them.   On second thoughts not strange....we are talking about the British Embassy.

[Franky Bear]

HMMMMMM

The last time he was in the media his mum was saying he flew out to meet a thai girl and she robbed him of everything....or is this a different person? 

[Rimmer]

One post removed:

 

11) You will not post slurs, degrading or overly negative comments directed towards Thailand, specific locations, Thai institutions such as the judicial or law enforcement system, Thai culture, Thai people or any other group on the basis of race, nationality, religion, gender or sexual orientation.

[ThaidDown]

The 'before he got back home' story here http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/736890-thai-honey-trap-fear-starving-brain-damaged-scot-banged-up-after-hes-found-near-dead/

 

 

[petercool]

post with just quotes and no comment removed

[colinneil]

-I do not beleive this story .

First he loses documents, why not contact british embassy???

Beaten by prison guards absolute rubbish.

Ihave spent time in a Thai prison . I was treated with the upmost respect by guards and other inmates.

British embassy contacted the prison, i spoke with man from embassy. He told me of my rights etc, we can contact a Thai lawyer for you, very helpful he was.

So before people speak about how unhelpful the British embassy staff are, think of people in my situation, they helped me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[siampolee]

The tragedy is that it appears this man it seems has a mental age of 12 years old.

 

One  must ask what were his family doing with regards to letting him travel  here to Thailand  with 4,000 pounds in cash say around 200,000 baht.

 

Too many  unasked or unanswered questions in this case to ascertain the truth of the matter regarding the seemingly lack of interest and care shown by the mans family in the first place.

 

He has my sympathy  however  there needs to be an in depth look into the matter to hopefully prevent such a situation arsing again with this unfortunate man or others like him

[Franky Bear]

-I do not beleive this story .

First he loses documents, why not contact british embassy???

Beaten by prison guards absolute rubbish.

Ihave spent time in a Thai prison . I was treated with the upmost respect by guards and other inmates.

British embassy contacted the prison, i spoke with man from embassy. He told me of my rights etc, we can contact a Thai lawyer for you, very helpful he was.

So before people speak about how unhelpful the British embassy staff are, think of people in my situation, they helped me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He has a mental age of 12

[BeforeTigers]

Brain-damaged foreigner tells an unbelievable tale and it is printed up as fact, nqa. mhm

[robertthebruce]

If he had a mental age of 12 years old, why was he allowed to go on holiday, plus meet his Thai Girlfriend ?? Some things just don't add up, maybe a budding Rabbie Burns...

[harrry]

In the UK he is an independant person and consequently can go of his own accord.  Who is to stop him.

[skippybangkok]

A scot being cheated out of money, rare indeed.

I think there is a lot of crap in his story


Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

[Deacon Bell]

....and that wasn’t my fault.

 

 

The story of some people's lives.

[Basil B]

HMMMMMM

The last time he was in the media his mum was saying he flew out to meet a thai girl and she robbed him of everything....or is this a different person? 

 

Same person... www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/thai-honey-trap-fear-starving-3746288

 

Maybe the Daily Record should read their previous stories to ensure consistency.

 

Was looking to see any info about what happened 15 years ago, nothing so far but digging.

 

What beats me, if he has the mental age of a 12 year old he should not be allowed to travel alone, surely his mother could have applied to the "Court of Protection" for power of attorney? but one must assume instead his mother actually filled out his passport application for him.

 

£4.000... I doubt that would last more than a few day with "Like a kid in a candy shop" syndrome.

Edited July 29, 2014 by Basil B

[ATF]

Well he probably got a payout and/or disability benefits from his previous beating so I expect he's hoping to double up. Maybe get a payout from the Thai Police and The Foreign Office for not looking after his interests.

 

If he thinks the Thais will pay up he's definitely brain damaged.

[Kerryd]

Because the story smacks of Bull is why.

 

Man with the "mental capacity of a 12 year old" travels alone to Pattaya to meet with his "girlfriend" ?

Lived in Thailand for 4 years previously (with aforementioned diminished mental capacity) ?

Cash machine "swallowed his bank card" and he "lost" his return ticket (according to one article). Another one says he was robbed of all his money and possessions.

 

One story in late June says he was found 4 weeks earlier (end of May) and his mother was arranging to have him flown home "within days".

 

Another story in late July says he was found 6 weeks earlier (mid-June) after spending "months" living out of his suitcase (although he reportedly had been calling his mom for money within weeks of arriving in late December).

 

"But I had only overstayed by about 10 days and that wasn’t my fault." Yeah, because months earlier while still in your apartment you'd already been calling your mom for money, so I'm guessing your bank card had already been "swallowed" by the machine (and you weren't able to get the bank to get it back, or get a replacement for "some" reason) and you'd already "lost" your return plane ticket (which as pointed out previously, was probably an e-ticket and just needed to be reprinted at a cost of what, 5 baht ? 10 baht ?). I'm guessing mom didn't send money or buy you a new plane ticket then, did she ?

 

And if it was an "open ticket" as claimed in various articles, why did the mother have to buy a new ticket ?

 

Hmmm - it seems he was only planning on staying over the "Christmas Season" so I have to wonder, just what visa was he on that by end-May (or mid-June depending on which story line you use) he only had 10 days of overstay ?

 

Would a person with a the mental capacity of a 12 year old, (who either lived in Thailand for 4 years previously or "came here a few times to see a lassie") bother getting a multi-entry tourist visa if he was only planning on staying over the "Christmas season" ? Even then he would have had to make border runs otherwise he'd have a lot more than 10 days of overstay.

 

Then there's the charity shop worker mother. 

"He had been going over to Thailand a few times to see a lassie.”

"Mother Margaret believes William, who has a mental age of 12, was taken advantage of because of his disabilities." (Don't forget the paralyzed down one side.) 

"She became even more suspicious when a woman would regularly talk into William’s phone, saying “Money, money.” (Or - "Every time we spoke, a lady would come on the phone, saying ‘money, money’.") (Or - "...said she first feared for her son when a woman answered his mobile phone and asked for money.")

 

Odd to that although she apparently knew he was in financial difficulty back in (January ? February ?) - she did nothing until after the British Embassy informed her that her son had been "found" in (late May/mid June). 

 

"After the British Embassy informed Margaret that William had been found, he was taken to a nearby hotel."

Really ? The British Embassy puts homeless vagrants up in hotels now ? And after spending months "sleeping rough and living out of a suitcase" he decides after a few days in a hotel to go to the police and announce that he has overstayed his visa (according to one version) ? Another version has it that he was taken to the police station because he had no visa or documents.

 

Long story short - the guy sold or cashed in his return ticket. Spent all his money (or gave it to his girlfriend) and ended up broke and homeless. Now he's trying to cash in by selling a story of woe. Guaranteed once he has a few quid in his pocket he'll be on a plane back here again.

 

This is not a new situation. There have been other stories in the past of people doing runners on hotels bills and the like, and once they are home and safe, going to the press (but not the police) with stories of assaults and rapes. There is even a website (or 2) in the UK (like this one: http://www.featureworld.co.uk/) that will buy your story ("sell us your story and pay for your vacation"). They then "brush it up" and resell it to various tabloids. 

 

Don't know about y'all, but I've spent the better part of the last 2 3 4 hours trying to find any reference to this guy prior to this story and the only thing that comes up is.....this story. Maybe being beaten into a coma in Glasgow was such a common thing 15 years ago that they don't bother reporting it ? 

 

Can't find any reference in any "Glasgow" newspaper about this "ordeal" either. In fact, there appears to be just the one (Daily Record) story, re-posted on numerous other sites. No news about the attack 15 years ago. No news from when he was initially "found" on the beach (in late May or mid-June)

[tonytigerbkk]

This story is sick.
Just 10 days overstay man.

Really wird.
They put him with criminals instead overstayers...

 

Maybe some people see overstayers as being criminals.

The act of overstaying a visa could be deemed as breaking the law and if you break the law you are a criminal.

[TommyDee]

80% elaboration for sure.  he could have replaced his ticket at the airport.  first report says he was here for 4 yrs proio to this visit.. so no stranger to Thailand.  if he has mental age fo 12, someone should have taken responsibility for him at home and not let him come. paraylsed down one side.. the pic looks les than convincing of that. 

 

5 mins of fame at the expense of thai tourism..  but the good news is that, even he, wont be daft enough to come back, so no doubt malaga will enjoy next years report

[Basil B]

80% elaboration for sure.  he could have replaced his ticket at the airport.  first report says he was here for 4 yrs proio to this visit.. so no stranger to Thailand.  if he has mental age fo 12, someone should have taken responsibility for him at home and not let him come. paraylsed down one side.. the pic looks les than convincing of that. 

 

5 mins of fame at the expense of thai tourism..  but the good news is that, even he, wont be daft enough to come back, so no doubt malaga will enjoy next years report

 

Nice one Tommy, presume you (fab 103) would not buy this story?

 

Seems the Daily Record has.

Edited July 29, 2014 by Basil B

[neverdie]

I wonder where the truth lies?

Odds on this isn't a complete or accurate version of the events.

;)

[TommyDee]

 

80% elaboration for sure.  he could have replaced his ticket at the airport.  first report says he was here for 4 yrs proio to this visit.. so no stranger to Thailand.  if he has mental age fo 12, someone should have taken responsibility for him at home and not let him come. paraylsed down one side.. the pic looks les than convincing of that. 

 

5 mins of fame at the expense of thai tourism..  but the good news is that, even he, wont be daft enough to come back, so no doubt malaga will enjoy next years report

 

Nice one Tommy, presume you (fab 103) would not buy this story?

 

Seems the Daily Record has.

 

it just doesnt add up for numerous reasons.  4k cash in his sky rocket.. too sounds a long shot.  but even if it were true, or parts of it true, the rest of it is nonsense for sure.  one call to the airline would have got him a ticket replacement.   his mum could have western unioned cash over.  and all the rest of it adds up to a front page story to sell a rag.

"

 Quote...William, 43, is now back home in Shawlands after his mum Margaret, 61, paid for his flight.He had lived in Thailand for four years and had flown back to see his girlfriend at New Year.

 so he knew the country here for 4 years!  and wandered around with 4K in his pocket.  Mummy could have helped with a little cash if she coughted up for a replacement ticket.

 naaaaaaaaaaah  ot for me ronnie.  (I am going with the 2 white rabbits that escaped from a French zoo and boarded a plane to thailand, only to be discovered breeding in a beer crate on beach road...:) )

[jonesthebaker]

hmmm, his diablility didn't stop him traveling to thailand.  also i question the veracity of the story when he says he was thrown in with 'terrorists'.  i mean how many terrorists would there be in a thai prisons.  good sound bite though.

 

 

[Ankloss]

May same people do not understand clear.  If have a normal Tourist Visa and like to stay longer, he can extended. If is denied from Immigration, then he have to live the country, as he is a TOURIST only. He can make a new Visa in his country.

If he not respect the law of the guest country, he get hit. This normal cultural in Asian.

 

 

[MaxYakov]

Where do I send my "guilt" contribution?

[Briggsy]

No safety net in Thailand. In the UK, violent criminals and people who haven't done a tap in their entire lives are given free Play Stations by the government as well as free housing, cash, etc.

 

In Thailand, the welfare state is your own money, then family, friends and position in society. It seems Mr Crook scored zero on all counts. When that is the case, Thailand can be utterly merciless. It would have been a lot worse for him if he had been Thai.

 

Must have been a surprise for him.

[Tchooptip]

I feel sorry for the guy and glad he is home again but how can you lose a plane ticket? Aren't they all e-tickets nowadays?

Yessss, plus with one's name I guess  the company would find the reservation pfffff