Former British soldier jailed for 50 years in Thailand for drug dealing

[mikiea]

So, come on members of the hang 'em high club, what are you waiting for?

do the crime .....do the time ...............samo ,samo , everywhere , kapeesh ?

[Thai at Heart]

If ever there was proof of the desperate need for precedent to be used in the Thai system this is it. What happened to the judge?

On the blob?

[Shaunduhpostman]

Village yaba dealer got caught redhanded a few weeks ago. I thought I heard that he'd be out in a few months.

Hard to believe they are going to actually make him spend 50 years in prison. Probably, because he is a caucasian westerner, they figure he has access to some serious funds, so the 50 year sentence is to try and milk him before he goes in for his 25 years or whatever it ends up actually being. Gotta love how people go on a killing spree here and then get out in a matter of months. Say something on facebook that someone doesn't like and get 50 years as well.

[abitmiffed]

Makes you wonder how king pings get out in 5-10

Simple reason is... He didn't have enough tea money to hand out to all involved.

Plain and simple.

Although I despise drug dealers, being an ex addict of the other poison in this country I know first hand how much it destroys lives.

50 yrs? I don't think he will last 1 more yr knowing of what waits for him for another 49.

[cooked]

So, come on members of the hang 'em high club, what are you waiting for?

do the crime .....do the time ...............samo ,samo , everywhere , kapeesh ?

Well you really come across as a nice, rationally thinking guy that never screwed up. These are 200 Ecstasy tabs. Less harmful than 20 bottles of whisky.

I bet you'd love it in Saudi.

[SupermarineS6B]

When are people going to learn about Thailand ? It doesn't matter what it was, if they could stick fifty years on you for no helmet they would. They don't like Farangs, just their money......... Ten or twelve years at max....... Suck it up mate........

[BB1955]

Dont fool with dope in a foreign country , if you do then you can blame no one if u get tossed up for a while ...

[mordicae schnable]

lance showed scant regard for any one else in his chosen profession which he carried on. a typical of the narcisstic body buliding lifestyle that seemed comfortable to engage in.. what is the name of the bar russell the father runs? and what is the name of the australian friend who was caught with him and has he been sanctioned by the courts. any one knowing the facts i would be interested to know

[halloween]

Indonesia, Singapore, and now Thailand seem to like to punish farang.

Death penalty and excessive prison time are just what judges like to give to non-asians.

Be forewarned, guys and girls, we are easy prey!

The 2 oz citizens recently executed in Indonesia were of Asian heritage. And despite the hoo-haa from Abbot and co, the overwhelming majority of the Australians I spoke to at the time (I drive cabs, so quite a few) were in favour of executing them or locking them up for life.

The only reason such a large number of foreigners were executed by Indonesia in such a short time was the change of Presidency ending a hiatus.

[RigPig]

The thing with crime, and this includes drug dealing, is that nobody ever expects to get caught.

No matter what, this is excessive punishment. I don't know how long he will actually spend in jail, I suspect he could get transferred to a UK jail within 5 years, but the punishment here does not fit the crime.

British guys in Thai jails have a harder time than many other nationalities as they get no support from the UK government. There are charities that can help, but basically he will need to depend on help from friends and family outside for even basics like food and basic medicine etc.

Much as I dislike drug dealing, I feel sorry for this guy.

Would you still feel sorry for him if any of your family died because they were using drugs supplied by a dealer?

If there was no drug dealers, almost every type of crime would be reduced.

and AJAYDEE, you cannot say that bartenders can be compared with drug dealers, alcohol is not a drug if drunk in moderation.

Or if drugs were legal and controlled there would be no dealers, that would work too !!

That could be the case, I don't really know, I have not got an opinion on this yet, I would need to know more about it.

, alcohol is not a drug if drunk in moderation? How do you work that out? A drug is a drug, it doesn´t matter how much you take !!!

That could be the case, I don't really know, I have not got an opinion on this yet, I would need to know more about it, try researching ¨alcohol prohibition¨ in th States See how legalizing and making illegal substances people want affect the community at large.....

[Alwyn]

wow... Harsh or what... I know he's not in England but first offence and he would be fined and community service for this amount, second offence 12 months incarceration. This is bang out of order and I'm in total agreement with the earlier posted who suggested it's racially motivated. Just a month or so ago, a car drove into the rear of a car parked on Sarasin bridge - a no parking dual-lan highway - and died along with his son. Nothing at all to the plum who'd stopped "to enjoy the view" Seems they view a couple of hundred E's to be far more important than wrongful death (or any death if we compare sentences of people who actually did get arrested). Mind you, could have been worse, he might have got a bullet between the eyes back in 2001 when Thaksin had granted permission to murder dealers to the police force!

[welsh1]

http://scottsbangkwangtime.net/

[spidermike007]

So he will do 8 years max and then be sent back to the UK to serve another 3 or 4 and then paroled to go about his business!

No, he will have to serve one third of his sentence before consider for a prisoner repat.

Then once at home (if he survives) he will only serve a short time in prison because of the severity of this punishment.

Wrong,

I am sorry but you are in an area where I am well versed. The law changed around mid 2000. I answered earlier in this thread what he will get.

When a sentence of 50 years or life is imposed, it is 8 years before they can apply to be repatriated, on a 25 year sentence it is 4 years. It usually takes an additional 6 to 9 months for paperwork to be formalized after this period. Very few prisoners receive a King's pardon for drug offenses.

On lower sentences, such as 4 or 6 years, it is the equivalent of one third of the sentence before they are eligible to apply to be repatriated under Thai law.

Once home, he will not serve a quick sentence and then released, that is not how it works and is not how the Thai/UK treaty works. He will serve" half of the balance " of the sentence remaining minus any good behavior class of days and minus any royal decrees or amnesties given.

He will still receive amnesties from Thailand whilst in a UK prison as he is there being held under a Thai conviction. His sentence cuts under amnesty are subject to the class of prisoner he was when he was repatriated. There are six classes, outstanding, very good, good, standard, bad and very bad. These determine the cut under an amnesty. For example if the cut is 1 year in four for an outstanding class of prisoner, a very good prisoner would receive a cut of one year in five and so forth. Prisoners in the bad and very bad class receive nothing.

The half of the remaining balance has been agreed by the two nations in a treaty and other nation states have different treaties with Thailand, some a lot better.

Any change in UK law means it must also undergo a treaty change and the two countries must both be in agreement to it.

Wow. So, there is actually law and order there in the LOS? I guess the reason it seems so skewed to many of us outsiders, is in the somewhat haphazard way it is applied. Do you have some cash? No. Well, you are going to be in prison for a long time.

[halloween]

wow... Harsh or what... I know he's not in England but first offence and he would be fined and community service for this amount, second offence 12 months incarceration. This is bang out of order and I'm in total agreement with the earlier posted who suggested it's racially motivated. Just a month or so ago, a car drove into the rear of a car parked on Sarasin bridge - a no parking dual-lan highway - and died along with his son. Nothing at all to the plum who'd stopped "to enjoy the view" Seems they view a couple of hundred E's to be far more important than wrongful death (or any death if we compare sentences of people who actually did get arrested). Mind you, could have been worse, he might have got a bullet between the eyes back in 2001 when Thaksin had granted permission to murder dealers to the police force!

I hate to point this out, but vehicles can stop anywhere and any time, even if it is illegal to do so. If you run up the back of a stopped vehicle hard enough to kill yourself or somebody in the other vehicle, in nearly every case the culpability is on you.

[Alwyn]

wow... Harsh or what... I know he's not in England but first offence and he would be fined and community service for this amount, second offence 12 months incarceration. This is bang out of order and I'm in total agreement with the earlier posted who suggested it's racially motivated. Just a month or so ago, a car drove into the rear of a car parked on Sarasin bridge - a no parking dual-lan highway - and died along with his son. Nothing at all to the plum who'd stopped "to enjoy the view" Seems they view a couple of hundred E's to be far more important than wrongful death (or any death if we compare sentences of people who actually did get arrested). Mind you, could have been worse, he might have got a bullet between the eyes back in 2001 when Thaksin had granted permission to murder dealers to the police force!

Then he should have pedaled his shit in the UK eh.

yup, you're 100% correct. Or he could have asked the arresting copper if he could go home first as he's so upset and arranged to meet them at the station. Oh no wait, you can only do that if you kill a copper in Thailand

[little mary sunshine]

Sleeze bag drug dealer....Looking for sympathy,

"Former Soldier". Embarrassment to the Corps.

C U in 50 years!!!

[freebyrd]

Drugs in any form are poison, but 50 years is excessive when compared to other sentences handed out.

As an ex soldier, although I did rather longer in uniform, I'm saddened that he would stoop so low. I've had some difficult times since I left the mob and although tempted on one occasion by a wide boy who himself landed up in clink, my disciplined background wouldn't allow me to stray. That said, a lot of things have changed for the worse since I was 26 and the world seems to become more selfish and generally less caring now.

My final thought is why do individuals like this always think they can get away with it, particularly in a foreign country where we stick out like sore thumbs? There are never any prizes for stupidity.

[JAG]

It is a very harsh sentence.

Anyone with the ability to fill in a passport application form, or to buy an airline ticket online, has enough grey matter to know that the penalties for dealing drugs in this part of the world are very harsh.

It's not just, but he knew the risks.

[Porkster]

wow... Harsh or what... I know he's not in England but first offence and he would be fined and community service for this amount, second offence 12 months incarceration. This is bang out of order and I'm in total agreement with the earlier posted who suggested it's racially motivated. Just a month or so ago, a car drove into the rear of a car parked on Sarasin bridge - a no parking dual-lan highway - and died along with his son. Nothing at all to the plum who'd stopped "to enjoy the view" Seems they view a couple of hundred E's to be far more important than wrongful death (or any death if we compare sentences of people who actually did get arrested). Mind you, could have been worse, he might have got a bullet between the eyes back in 2001 when Thaksin had granted permission to murder dealers to the police force!

Another one that just doesn't get it

What's wrong with these people? [emoji99][emoji99][emoji99]

This ain't soft headed England is it!

Again! There's a BIG FO SIGN AT THE AIRPORT!

If it's at the airport it's directed at foreigners isn't it...

If Thailand became as soft as the as the UK on this there'd be hoards of people bringing God knows what in by the kilo!

Midnight Express baby!

Poor old Billy Hayes... Same sh*t different country...

[Traveller45]

This sentence is over-kill for any possible damage to society from MDMA (street name ecstasy). In my opinion, it is over-kill even if he had been selling heroin. Opium was 100% legal in Thailand until 1962 and if you go to rural Isaan, many villagers smoke ganja.

Ecstasy therapy approved for trial in Marin County http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Ecstasy-therapy-approved-for-trial-in-Marin-6283115.php

Brain Scans Hint at Therapy Uses of Ecstasy for Anxiety, PTSD http://psychcentral.com/news/2014/01/18/brain-scans-hint-at-therapy-uses-of-ecstasy-for-anxiety-ptsd/64700.html

The Role of MDMA (Ecstasy) in Coping with Negative Life Situations Among Urban Young Adults http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3235684/

For those vehemently against any sale of any illicit drug, there are, believe it or not, shades of gray in the dangers associated with different drugs. Cigarettes and alcohol are perfectly legal and are far more damaging to society than most illicit drugs. Every drug you could want has been legal (10 day supply) in Portugal for more than 14 years and illicit drug use has gone down 30% and drug deaths are down by 50% without the criminal justice system being involved. Can anyone find any negative stories on Portugal's relaxing of drug laws? NO!

Some people are risk-takers, some people are gay, and some people are drawn to drugs. There is something inside them that makes them that way and criminalization has never stopped, or even reduced, these behaviors. I'm glad my world is not 'black and white'.

.

What you are talking about is Politics. Then there is also the LAW. 200 tablets of Meth may appear less than, say, 1.5kgs of heroine, still, it is above what they consider for personal consumption. That normally draws Death penalty in Thailand. The other guy was right: 50 years clearly is a commuted Death sentence. Could be that other judges in other instances did not apply the Law as they should have, whatever the reason. You cannot take pretext from such cases to require that the judge NOT apply the Law here, also.

BTW Meth is actually very dangerous.

[northernphil]

200 pills 50 years disproportunate

Is that about 91 days in the slammer for 1 pill or is my maths crap ?

[mickyboy]

i say he lucky he got caught here and not indonisia or he be shot.

he probelrly be pardoned in say 10 years or less but for me its the attitude of some thing for nothing he play with fire and got well burnt well when he comes out he know fluent thai thats for sure

goodbye life im a loser

[BobbyL]

50 years most be a mild sentence if he had be a Thai city cent there will only be death penalty, but serve 10 - 20 yers in thailand before he can be sent home UK.

Drug delling is the worst crime ever and i can only say rest in peace. He not death yet but nearly the same.

''Drug dealing is the worst crime ever''

Jesus Christ.

Aye, those child molesters and rapists are far better.

[rosst]

So he will do 8 years max and then be sent back to the UK to serve another 3 or 4 and then paroled to go about his business!

As someone who has a child damaged by drug addiction, I class him as a dealer and have no sympathy. If the above is true, then I believe that is appropriate.

A fifty year jail sentence in Thailand and they call the death sentence barbaric?? The mind boggles

[orientalsf]

So, come on members of the hang 'em high club, what are you waiting for?

I was waiting for the computer to warm up...

more seriously, this is disproportionate to the crime committed by far. and there hundreds of

other cases that people got away with much with less jail time,

Thai justice, much can be said about it, being fair, above board and proportional are not

what I would have described it...

let's hope that an appeal in front of other non hanging judges will reduce the term significantly....

The problem is these people go to these foreign countries and know what the penalties are but still do it. Like the saying goes 'If you can't do the time, don't do the crime'.

[GOLDBUGGY]

Too bad he wasn't arrested in Malasia. Then the government wouldn't have to feed him for 50 years. 50 years is a bit ridiculous but look at the consequences for the same crime in Malasia.

Two wrongs don't make a right!

Didn't your mother teach you this?

[cooked]

This sentence is over-kill for any possible damage to society from MDMA (street name ecstasy). In my opinion, it is over-kill even if he had been selling heroin. Opium was 100% legal in Thailand until 1962 and if you go to rural Isaan, many villagers smoke ganja.

Ecstasy therapy approved for trial in Marin County http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Ecstasy-therapy-approved-for-trial-in-Marin-6283115.php

Brain Scans Hint at Therapy Uses of Ecstasy for Anxiety, PTSD http://psychcentral.com/news/2014/01/18/brain-scans-hint-at-therapy-uses-of-ecstasy-for-anxiety-ptsd/64700.html

The Role of MDMA (Ecstasy) in Coping with Negative Life Situations Among Urban Young Adults http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3235684/

For those vehemently against any sale of any illicit drug, there are, believe it or not, shades of gray in the dangers associated with different drugs. Cigarettes and alcohol are perfectly legal and are far more damaging to society than most illicit drugs. Every drug you could want has been legal (10 day supply) in Portugal for more than 14 years and illicit drug use has gone down 30% and drug deaths are down by 50% without the criminal justice system being involved. Can anyone find any negative stories on Portugal's relaxing of drug laws? NO!

Some people are risk-takers, some people are gay, and some people are drawn to drugs. There is something inside them that makes them that way and criminalization has never stopped, or even reduced, these behaviors. I'm glad my world is not 'black and white'.

.

What you are talking about is Politics. Then there is also the LAW. 200 tablets of Meth may appear less than, say, 1.5kgs of heroine, still, it is above what they consider for personal consumption. That normally draws Death penalty in Thailand. The other guy was right: 50 years clearly is a commuted Death sentence. Could be that other judges in other instances did not apply the Law as they should have, whatever the reason. You cannot take pretext from such cases to require that the judge NOT apply the Law here, also.

BTW Meth is actually very dangerous.

Ecstasy, not meths. Ecstasy is less harmful than whisky.

[Howitzer]

So, come on members of the hang 'em high club, what are you waiting for?

I was waiting for the computer to warm up...

more seriously, this is disproportionate to the crime committed by far. and there hundreds of

other cases that people got away with much with less jail time,

Thai justice, much can be said about it, being fair, above board and proportional are not

what I would have described it...

let's hope that an appeal in front of other non hanging judges will reduce the term significantly....

What if the convicted person was a thai or non farang? You would be singing a different tune.

[Larry001]

Such inconsistencies in this country. Absolute joke. No wonder the rest of the world does not stop laughing at this country. He is guilty and should serve time. But the length of time should be consistent with what the many Thai drug dealers have been sentenced for.

[Jim walker]

Lance Whitmore's sentence leaves his mother devastated good you should have taught him what is right and what is wrong and dealing in misery and death caused by drugs is wrong and the severity of his sentence matches the severity of his crime, well done Thailand just shows they can get some things right occasionally, He will only be 76 when he comes out for a beer and an ecstasy tablet and he will know the next time not to sell drugs to undercover detective’s like a proper schmuck .