British grandfather fighting for his life after mysterious attack in Pattaya

[louse1953]

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.

I know this will stir the pot,but it is not supposed to.Shouldn't a rep of the Embassy be in touch with patient,hospital and family.

[balo]

I think he was not a tourist but he lives here , so he had a local insurance. In my opinion he should have been sent to one of the good government hospitals and not the most expensive one , his GF should have been helping him out here. Maybe they can move him to another hospital when he recovers ?

Edited February 16, 2016 by balo

[3NUMBAS]

Did he have health insurance I doubt it as UK insurers usually reject oaps as too risky

[Jeremy50]

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.

Empathy not your strong point I take it. Pattaya is full of granddads with Thai girlfriends . Do you mean he deserved to be punished? Edited February 16, 2016 by Jeremy50

[MikeOwen]

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".

I thought it was Set Upon

[wowfactor10]

Again people will say its his own fault and no sympathy for this guy because he decided to travel to Pattaya...

With such statements its useless for me to post here..

[JonnyMoz]

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".

it doesn't say Set on, "Set upon" is a common term used in Britain to describe an assault. Edited February 16, 2016 by JonnyMoz

[Champ666]

I agree that it is a bad situation he is in and that it is a sad story for him and the family but I can't reed anywhere that he is assaulted or that he got very drunk and fell on his head because they don't write anything about attackers or cctv images off the attack or whatever so it could be that he got drunk and fell on his head after all it's pattaya and he went to see his "girlfriend" ?? So who can tell what really happened

[BWPattaya]

I haven't bothered to read every comment so forgive me if I am repeating what someone else has written.

Where does it say he was assaulted? Where does it say he had injuries consistent with being beaten about the head? Does it mention a skull fracture?

It is more likely that he had a cerebral aneurysm that popped and caused a bleed into the brain and this coagulated causing the clot. That would explain why he was unconscious for a protracted period.

Of course that scenario would not please those who want to jump on the bandwagon and blame a Thai causing a skull injury and affecting Thai tourism.

[sapson]

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.

What a sanctimonious pri*k! ,,,,,,,sorry to sugar coat it!

If he went to Thailand to paint sunsets and collect butterflies that's ok is it? but the fact he is able to have a girlfriend to visit makes him not worthy of sympathy?

Watch the film bad granddad, have a drink, lighten up................ before you choke on your own moral indignation!

[KhunBENQ]

I haven't bothered to read every comment so forgive me if I am repeating what someone else has written.

Where does it say he was assaulted? Where does it say he had injuries consistent with being beaten about the head? Does it mention a skull fracture?

It is more likely that he had a cerebral aneurysm that popped and caused a bleed into the brain and this coagulated causing the clot. That would explain why he was unconscious for a protracted period.

Of course that scenario would not please those who want to jump on the bandwagon and blame a Thai causing a skull injury and affecting Thai tourism.

Indeed repeating but still true and what I was asking too (post #39).

"Mysterious" it the word.

I still don't buy this story.

[phil2]

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

set up on, by whom,

By his gf's bf, or husband, and his crew.

[little mary sunshine]

"Set on".....High English? I think not!!

Rather archaic for 2016

[fasteddie]

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.

My friend spent one night in hospital in Phuket, over a grand, she said is was a very nice room with a balcony and fortunately she was insured.

[jobsworth]

the photo of pattaya in the daily mirror looks more like bangkok maybe chinatown with the disused cinema.

[JonnyMoz]

"Set on".....High English? I think not!!

Rather archaic for 2016

it doesn't say "set on" it says "set upon" which is a common term still used today in England Edited February 16, 2016 by JonnyMoz

[Straight8]

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

Of course a foreigner could not have beaten him up......it had to be a Thai right? Hope he recovers well.

Could have also been the tooth fairy come to think of it...but 99% chances are it was a thai.

[Rimmer]

A Troll post and reply have been removed

[gandalf12]

The cost per day sounds high but I know from experience it is even a little bit on the low side. Years ago my wife had cancer and was in ICU before she passed away and that was costing over Baht 30,000 a day. This was back in 2007

[biplanebluey]

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.

Me too.I came to Thailand when I was nearly 71 Been here 9yrs and now married 7yrs (happily).Just picked the right one I guess

[Beng]

Excellent piece of journalism.

[cardinalblue]

Wow divorced since 16.....been single for 50 years....you old gizzer you....

[Razzler1973]

Total lack of info in the article

Is this being investigated? He was in a bar alone and no one saw the attack and no one has any knowledge of it? GF was there at the time?

Just a whole ton of stuff not mentioned here other than this guy got attacked :/

[paz]

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.

You are praising crime and be the judge about other's people life choice. Shameful. Just hope that won't happen to you, even if you don't spend you Western money in Pattaya.

[NanLaew]

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.

You are praising crime and be the judge about other's people life choice. Shameful. Just hope that won't happen to you, even if you don't spend you Western money in Pattaya.

Everyone can relax. It looks like jalansanitwong has been banished.

[tropo]

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.

This guy has never written anything that I have seen, positive about Thais or Thailand, or those expats who come to Thailand to settle down. And I doubt very much that he lives in Thailand, or possibly ever been here. His monikur is definitely misleading as well. He just comes on to pester people.

Unfortunately it's not easy to find positive things to say about Thailand these days.