British grandfather fighting for his life after mysterious attack in Pattaya

[webfact]

British grandfather fighting for his life after mysterious attack in popular Thailand beach resort


Attacked: Nigel Holmes with daughter Amanda Hunt. Image source: Mirror

Nigel Holmes, 66, from Poole in Dorset, was visiting his girlfriend in the popular beach resort of Pattaya when he was set upon

LONDON: -- A granddad is fighting for his life after a mysterious attack in Thailand where he suffered a bleed on the brain and required major surgery.

Nigel Holmes, 66, from Poole in Dorset, was visiting his girlfriend in the popular beach resort of Pattaya when he was set upon - but his family do not know what happened or why.

It is believed he could have been unconscious for up to two days before he was found by anyone.

Language barriers have made it difficult for his four worried children to find out more information and the cost of his treatment is mounting.

Full story: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/british-grandfather-fighting-life-after-7373976

-- Mirror 2016-02-16

[shirtless]

Thais should give up on tourism you cant beat down tourists on a daily basis .

[smedly]

I am a little confused with this story

was he assaulted (had an attack) or are they saying he had some sort of medical situation

He would have been better going to the airport and getting on a plane before going near any Thai hospital 13hrs he'd have been in London, now he is in the hands of ................the money drainers

[ezzra]

Indeed, this story is more confusing than what it reads, visiting his GF in Pattaya?

set up on, by whom, and where was he for 2 days before he was discovered?

where is he now and why his children having problems in talking to the right

people where some English is spoken in hospitals and hotels?......

[onemorechang]

Sounds like the usual Lady boy style attack in pattaya.

Hope he get well and back home

[arminbkk]

From the linked article in OP:

""The first we heard about it was when his girlfriend called us on February 4 to say he was in hospital in quite a serious condition."

Her sister Katy is a nurse and asked doctors in Thailand to send over brain scans to her colleagues at Dorset County Hospital, where they found he was at risk of suffering a blood clot in his brain.

Mr Holmes returned to hospital on Friday and had surgery to relieve the pressure on his brain.

His children Amanda, Katy, Joanna and Andy are having to deal with mounting hospital bills as his insurance only covers £1,400 worth of treatment and the surgery cost £10,000 - with each day in hospital £600.

Mrs Hunt, 37, said: "We began to get really worried when we spoke to dad on the phone and couldn't get much sense out of him.

"So we contacted a friend who is in Thailand on holiday.

"He visited our dad and was straight away concerned that he should be at hospital because he was suffering with a lot of pain and severely dehydrated as well as being very confused and not knowing who people are."

So what is the GBP doing these days?

GBP 600 per day.....steep.

[jacko45k]

Rather a lot of information lacking but the guy sounds to be in a bad position.

Of course it would not take much to get you hit over the head in Pattaya.

Another example of insufficient insurance too, his cover stopped at £1400 and at 30,000 baht/day I guess he is in ICU at the Bangkok Hospital Pattaya.

It is possible with this type of injury flying is a risk.

Edited February 16, 2016 by jacko45k

[riverhigh]

Is it just me or did anyone else have to look up the words "set on" ? First time I've heard of these words used in this context .... Maybe I have to upgrade my Pattaya friends or worse still go back to school. For those who may have not heard of this phrase before here is an example given from the merriam-webster : "without warning, bandits would set on unwary merchants as they traveled along the Silk Road".

[riverhigh]

Is it just me or did anyone else have to look up the words "set on" ? First time I've heard of these words used in this context .... Maybe I have to upgrade my Pattaya friends or worse still go back to school. For those who may have not heard of this phrase before here is an example given from the merriam-webster : "without warning, bandits would set on unwary merchants as they traveled along the Silk Road".

Not my day ... set on or set upon ===> attack (someone) violently.

[sharecropper]

Note this is another bad-for-tourism story airbrushed out of the local and national press, which had to be broken abroad.

[Mot Dang]

I am a little confused with this story

was he assaulted (had an attack) or are they saying he had some sort of medical situation

He would have been better going to the airport and getting on a plane before going near any Thai hospital 13hrs he'd have been in London, now he is in the hands of ................the money drainers

Because of his recent injuries, may be no airline will let him board a plane. Who knows whether he will take a fit on board. Because so many falang, and other tourists, are returning home injured now, the airlines are a wake-up to this. They don't what the responsibility if they can avoid it.

Try ordering a wheel chair to board a plane, and you go through an interrogation on what's wrong with you, how far you can walk unaided and how many steps you can climb. With so many passengers being bused out to their planes now (they said this would never happen out at Swampy, it became the norm at the Don) I suppose this is important as well.

Edited February 16, 2016 by Mot Dang

[Suradit69]

I am a little confused with this story

was he assaulted (had an attack) or are they saying he had some sort of medical situation

He would have been better going to the airport and getting on a plane before going near any Thai hospital 13hrs he'd have been in London, now he is in the hands of ................the money drainers

"13hrs he'd have been in London"

And then 13 hours after he joined the queue in an emergency room a doctor would have seen him.

[GordonP]

£600 about the norm if he is in ITC or CCU at one of the "private" Pattaya hospitals.

[jalansanitwong]

A 66 year old grandfather from the UK has a girlfriend in Pattaya does he? I feel sorry for his daughter back in England but not him. I bet his daughter and sister were concerned about -grand dad- travelling to Pattaya of all places. They never learn.

Edited February 16, 2016 by jalansanitwong

[jinners]

A 66 year old grandfather from the UK has a girlfriend in Pattaya does he? I feel sorry for his daughter back in England but not him. I bet his daughter and sister were concerned about -grand dad- travelling to Pattaya of all places. They never learn.

TV, never fails to amaze. So you have no compassion for a 66 year old, in a life threatening condition, with insufficient insurance because he traveled to Pattaya to see his GF. What a narrow minded seriously bigoted individual you are. Now go plant some rice and get back on that high horse that awaits.

[meatboy]

A 66 year old grandfather from the UK has a girlfriend in Pattaya does he? I feel sorry for his daughter back in England but not him. I bet his daughter and sister were concerned about -grand dad- travelling to Pattaya of all places. They never learn.

TV, never fails to amaze. So you have no compassion for a 66 year old, in a life threatening condition, with insufficient insurance because he traveled to Pattaya to see his GF. What a narrow minded seriously bigoted individual you are. Now go plant some rice and get back on that high horse that awaits.

i will second that.

[Suradit69]

Is it just me or did anyone else have to look up the words "set on" ? First time I've heard of these words used in this context .... Maybe I have to upgrade my Pattaya friends or worse still go back to school. For those who may have not heard of this phrase before here is an example given from the merriam-webster : "without warning, bandits would set on unwary merchants as they traveled along the Silk Road".

Fairly common expression really.

[Kasset Tak]

Wow £600 a day, where the hell is he staying??? Sriphat Medical Center in Chang Mai charges 3,000 Baht a day, that's 10% of what he is paying a day in Pattaya!

I just refuse to use these private hospitals as long as I can. I stayed in a deluxe private room at a government hospital (not ICU) with 24/7 monitoring for 5 nights in January for sepsis (BP 240/150 and high fever on arrival to the hospital that's why monitoring). With medicines, complete blood works, food and so on the bill ended up at 9,000 Baht. Actually staying in the ICU would have been cheaper for me as the private deluxe room was 1,600 Baht/night and the they charge 1,200 Baht/night for staying in the ICU!

[snowgard]

Do all British newspapers always wrote such a shit to increase its circulation??

[maingmoom]

Is it just me or did anyone else have to look up the words "set on" ? First time I've heard of these words used in this context .... Maybe I have to upgrade my Pattaya friends or worse still go back to school. For those who may have not heard of this phrase before here is an example given from the merriam-webster : "without warning, bandits would set on unwary merchants as they traveled along the Silk Road".

Set on or set upon has been used in London since I was a kid

[sential]

A 66 year old grandfather from the UK has a girlfriend in Pattaya does he? I feel sorry for his daughter back in England but not him. I bet his daughter and sister were concerned about -grand dad- travelling to Pattaya of all places. They never learn.

Trust me, you're far more stupid than this guy. I can't even begin to comprehend the thought processes you must have gone through to come out with that bile

[Jip99]

A 66 year old grandfather from the UK has a girlfriend in Pattaya does he? I feel sorry for his daughter back in England but not him. I bet his daughter and sister were concerned about -grand dad- travelling to Pattaya of all places. They never learn.

TV, never fails to amaze. So you have no compassion for a 66 year old, in a life threatening condition, with insufficient insurance because he traveled to Pattaya to see his GF. What a narrow minded seriously bigoted individual you are. Now go plant some rice and get back on that high horse that awaits.

i will second that.

+1

I hope that one day jalansanitwong finds himself and a similar situation - and receives the same level of sympathy.

Tam dee dai dee.

[maximillian]

A 66 year old grandfather from the UK has a girlfriend in Pattaya does he? I feel sorry for his daughter back in England but not him. I bet his daughter and sister were concerned about -grand dad- travelling to Pattaya of all places. They never learn.

Who are you to judge ?

I am also a 66 year old grand dad.

Devorced since 16 years.

And... having a girlfriend in Thailand.

Can't see anything wrong with it.

[maingmoom]

A 66 year old grandfather from the UK has a girlfriend in Pattaya does he? I feel sorry for his daughter back in England but not him. I bet his daughter and sister were concerned about -grand dad- travelling to Pattaya of all places. They never learn.

Why do you feel sorry for the daughter ? She might be happy that her father has a girlfriend. What is wrong with Pattaya ? Many people love and live there. Why shouldn't you feel sorry for him,the poor block has had a traumatic experience

[UNTOUCHABLE1]

one english word they do know is money--what a poor article--not clear at all

[crazykopite]

OMG £600 per day £10,000 for op someone is getting ripped off big time ! Private hospitals in Thailand especially the BKK hospital are the biggest rip off merchants going. I always use a government hospital if needed where they charge you very reasonable costs once the doctors have finished there shift they go to the private hospitals to earn extra money !!!!

[sawadee1947]

I think it's too early to comment the story. There are too many W's (Why, what, who, when) in this story.

Who attacked him, if...And what is his condition in hospital? What is his diagnose?

He will tells us...next...hopefully.... Good luck anyway to him.

[MrTee]

Why is it that these type of news stories bring out the vile creeps to spew out their bigoted putrid bile?

[riverhigh]

Is it just me or did anyone else have to look up the words "set on" ? First time I've heard of these words used in this context .... Maybe I have to upgrade my Pattaya friends or worse still go back to school. For those who may have not heard of this phrase before here is an example given from the merriam-webster : "without warning, bandits would set on unwary merchants as they traveled along the Silk Road".

Set on or set upon has been used in London since I was a kid

ok, the verdict is in! I'm in the minority of esteemed Pattaya expats who doesn't know "set in" or "set upon". Well ... like grandfather .... I'm Sexy Man ... So There!!

[grumpyoldman]

The Mirror article ads a little more info, but yes, quality reporting when sentence 1 is then repeated as sentence 3.

Bottom line is the man had a significant head injury. The term "set upon" means someone hit him on the head, that's the mystery. As happened to another Englishman last month (could have been the month before) as he was walking by a ladyboy hangout they offered services, he insulted them and got the sh*t kicked out of him. I am speculating here, heck, could have been the GF when he said "given you enough money already"........"oh yeah, how about a Chang beer bottle over the head?" Again, speculation.

But saying set upon, seems to clear a fall, head hitting pavement. Also, you are not suppose to go to sleep when you have a significant head injury.

Poor chap, hope he recovers.