British grandad locked up in Thailand claims he was beaten, robbed and sexually abused in jail

[Jeremy50]

If he was 18 I might believe he was sexually abused, but 68 really ?

Oh dear. Sexual abuse is about having power over someone, stripping away their dignity, and fundamental choices in life. Really age, and attractiveness have very little to do with it.

[KOZMO]

I think this account holds some truth to it. In prison, inmates run what happens inside and guards only watch and, as in this case, the guards perhaps are as evil as the inmates.. What bother me so about this is that this guy is probably in jail just because he is a foreigner. I have read so many instances where death has occurred due to negligent driving yet, the Thai never seems to go to prison for it. A good example is this recent case where the guy drove 200 kph and crashed into the back of a car killing to students. I don't see him even looking at a charge for their deaths, only his bad driving. Pathetic to see double standards across the board with foreigners and Thai.

Welcome to the Land of Two Smiles !!!! Falang and Thai !!!

[arrowsdawdle]

Horrific account, but another situation where you feel you don't have the whole story.

That's because the script is not finished yet, to wit., Koh Tao.

[arrowsdawdle]

I do not know about this particular guy and his prison experience, but there have been a lot of foreigners over the years who have released books after being in Thai prisons and have made up accounts of abuse in order to help sell their books.

You were in jail with them? Or, are you just talking out of your exhaust pipe?

[thesetat2013]

I think this account holds some truth to it. In prison, inmates run what happens inside and guards only watch and, as in this case, the guards perhaps are as evil as the inmates.. What bother me so about this is that this guy is probably in jail just because he is a foreigner. I have read so many instances where death has occurred due to negligent driving yet, the Thai never seems to go to prison for it. A good example is this recent case where the guy drove 200 kph and crashed into the back of a car killing to students. I don't see him even looking at a charge for their deaths, only his bad driving. Pathetic to see double standards across the board with foreigners and Thai.

The difference between the two cases is that the Merc. driver had money and paid his way out (or at least his insurance company did), the Brit doesn't seem to be able to raise 100k Baht and apparently didn't have insurance otherwise he would have been able to post a bail bond.

Have you ever heard the saying 'two wrongs don't make a right' This guy killed someone, are you saying he doesn't deserve to be punished because a Thai person would have gotten away with it ?

Also are we expected to believe most inmates in Thai jails an non Thai.

Don't put words into my mouth.. My comment has nothing to do with 2 wrongs making it right. My comment was simply how unfair it is that here you have a case where a foreigner is being charged for the death from an accident, yet a Thai is not.. Simple as that. Double standards.

[ScotBkk]

If he was 18 I might believe he was sexually abused, but 68 really ?

Oh dear. Sexual abuse is about having power over someone, stripping away their dignity, and fundamental choices in life. Really age, and attractiveness have very little to do with it.

Forgive me if I ask.

Is this through personal experiences?

Just saying ....,,

[casualbiker]

Horrific account, but another situation where you feel you don't have the whole story.

Is there any part of the story you needed to complete you're theses or maybe a proposition that TV could put forward for consideration. Especially, if this particular post needs to be discussed at a later date and approved by yourself or to be heavily maintained against objections or subject for a composition or essay you have in mind.

Nice to be nice as they say!!

Do you know the full circumstances of the case?

Do you?

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

You have to be Thai for Thais to accept your appology and it helps to 'Wai' with baht...

[riverhigh]

If he was 18 I might believe he was sexually abused, but 68 really ?

Grandad has been kissing the blarney stone ... lol. Joking aside, its hard to take this individual serious. Playing the victim with the expectation of receiving some form of special treatment. Maybe he is hoping that someone will have sympathy for him and send him money/food. Who knows?

[koolkarl]

I believe the British granddad. After all, he is an old defenseless foreigner all by himself and Thai woman died.

As some of you have noted, when a Thai drives recklessly and kills innocent people, usually nothing of consequence happens but a foreigner

gets crucified every time.

Many of you laugh these events off believing it can't happen to you. You can stay here and wait your turn.

I am in this country not by choice. There is no doubt, level of violence and severe animosity towards foreigners has escalated dramatically over the years.

Even my wife said she is scared to go out.

We would feel safer and much more respected in another country as soon as my contract ends.

[Rykbanlor]

If he was 18 I might believe he was sexually abused, but 68 really ?

Oh dear. Sexual abuse is about having power over someone, stripping away their dignity, and fundamental choices in life. Really age, and attractiveness have very little to do with it.

Forgive me if I ask.

Is this through personal experiences?

Just saying ....,,

It's a well established fact.

[sahibji]

strip search is understandable under certain circumstances but sexual abuse by the STAFF, heck NO.

another area of concern and improvement by the government.

[BlindMagician]

I do not believe 1 word of this.

I have been in a Thai prison, and i was treated with the greatest of respect.

Staff and prisoners went out of their way to help me.

He did wrong and is trying to disguise what he did with lies.

What was your crime? Care to share, with no lies?

[Rykbanlor]

If he was 18 I might believe he was sexually abused, but 68 really ?

Grandad has been kissing the blarney stone ... lol. Joking aside, its hard to take this individual serious. Playing the victim with the expectation of receiving some form of special treatment. Maybe he is hoping that someone will have sympathy for him and send him money/food. Who knows?

And maybe he is telling the truth, who knows?

One thing we do know, is that if you are willing to pay the police/lawyers, they will go after your quarry for you with zeal, as noted in the case of the kid that got beat up by the rich Chinese kids.

Just supposing the Brit's story is true and the other bike had no lights and helmets, well asides from the Brit not having insurance, the other party would be in the wrong and maybe the Frenchman has money to put behind his claim.

This is all speculation but its entertaining to hear from all the folks who seem to have omnipotent knowledge regarding every sparsely reported news story on TV.

[cyberfarang]

After being discharged from hospital, Dave voluntarily went to a police station to tell officers he had been involved in the crash. He was told there was no record of the incident and thought the matter had ended there.

Doesn`t make sense. In such a serious accident like that the police have to attend the scene and file a report. So why would he have gone to the police station after leaving hospital 3 weeks later and tell officers he had been involved in an accident?

[riverhigh]

I believe the British granddad. After all, he is an old defenseless foreigner all by himself and Thai woman died.

As some of you have noted, when a Thai drives recklessly and kills innocent people, usually nothing of consequence happens but a foreigner

gets crucified every time.

Many of you laugh these events off believing it can't happen to you. You can stay here and wait your turn.

I am in this country not by choice. There is no doubt, level of violence and severe animosity towards foreigners has escalated dramatically over the years.

Even my wife said she is scared to go out.

We would feel safer and much more respected in another country as soon as my contract ends.

"After all, he is an old defenseless foreigner" .... Really? How did you come to that conclusion? Where's grandad's loving family ... think about it !!

[Rykbanlor]

After being discharged from hospital, Dave voluntarily went to a police station to tell officers he had been involved in the crash. He was told there was no record of the incident and thought the matter had ended there.

Doesn`t make sense. In such a serious accident like that the police have to attend the scene and file a report. So why would he have gone to the police station after leaving hospital 3 weeks later and tell officers he had been involved in an accident?

This point does raise a few questions however......

[Spaniel]

I believe the British granddad. After all, he is an old defenseless foreigner all by himself and Thai woman died.

As some of you have noted, when a Thai drives recklessly and kills innocent people, usually nothing of consequence happens but a foreigner

gets crucified every time.

Many of you laugh these events off believing it can't happen to you. You can stay here and wait your turn.

I am in this country not by choice. There is no doubt, level of violence and severe animosity towards foreigners has escalated dramatically over the years.

Even my wife said she is scared to go out.

We would feel safer and much more respected in another country as soon as my contract ends.

The women that died was French, not Thai.

[Jimbo2014]

Midnight express in Thailand. So very third world for a country that aspires to be first.

[LukKrueng]

I think this account holds some truth to it. In prison, inmates run what happens inside and guards only watch and, as in this case, the guards perhaps are as evil as the inmates.. What bother me so about this is that this guy is probably in jail just because he is a foreigner. I have read so many instances where death has occurred due to negligent driving yet, the Thai never seems to go to prison for it. A good example is this recent case where the guy drove 200 kph and crashed into the back of a car killing to students. I don't see him even looking at a charge for their deaths, only his bad driving. Pathetic to see double standards across the board with foreigners and Thai.

I know of a case where a farang was riding a super fast big bike and according to people who where traveling with him (on another bike) he was doing well over 200 Km/h when he slammed into a woman crossing the road. Didn't spend even 1 hour in jail (he was seriously injured and spent long time in hospital though).

[al007]

Sounds dubious to me, surely if guards are going to sexually assault they would choose younger than 68, some truth in the story no doubt but written for UK tabloid press

[maoro2013]

The Mercedes driver escaped a manslaughter charge and I would think his actions sounded a lot worse than this guy''s although not any real facts in the story.

[Acharn]

My thoughts also, the picture is incomplete.

On the jail issue: I don't know if the rules are different elsewhere in Thailand but here in Chiang Mai, about seven years ago, a Brit we know was given 5 years in jail and he was housed strictly with foreigners and not with locals and all foreigners were treated similarly.

I think that's the national policy (or used to be), but some jurisdictions might not have facilities. I've seen excerpts from stories from people in Bang Kwang for drug charges which mentioned help they got from Thai inmates, so I'm sure it varies. If the woman who died was especially well liked or was an "influential person," I expect that would affect how he was treated.

[Lancashireman]

I do not know about this particular guy and his prison experience, but there have been a lot of foreigners over the years who have released books after being in Thai prisons and have made up accounts of abuse in order to help sell their books.

No you don't know about this particular case, but you seemingly know about 'a lot' of foreigners over the years, etc.

Confused with your dubious sensationalistic empirical evidence.

[bamukloy]

I believe the British granddad. After all, he is an old defenseless foreigner all by himself and Thai woman died.

As some of you have noted, when a Thai drives recklessly and kills innocent people, usually nothing of consequence happens but a foreigner

gets crucified every time.

Many of you laugh these events off believing it can't happen to you. You can stay here and wait your turn.

I am in this country not by choice. There is no doubt, level of violence and severe animosity towards foreigners has escalated dramatically over the years.

Even my wife said she is scared to go out.

We would feel safer and much more respected in another country as soon as my contract ends.

It wont happen to me....I dont ride motorbike or car.

Live under the radar

dont wear gold around

rent appartment

dont walk around tourist traps at 2am

dont confront Thais in angry or threatening manner

10+ years for me and still going strong.

Being on the opposite pole to your thinking, i spend a lot of my thinking how fortunate i am to live here.

best of luck for your next port of call, but unless its someplace not of this Earth, i fear you will soon find something to fear in the next utopia.

[biplanebluey]

This is a farang vs. farang story. The accused is alleged to have run into a motorbike driven by a Frenchman. The collision injured a french woman who was on the bike and she allegedly died from his injuries some time after the collision.

While a reckless mad Thai drivers who kills scores of people aren't being arrested and given

the proper hospital treatment, here we have a repeat of the Midnight express movie treatment

mentality being played all over again in modern Thailand for a single motorcycle road fatality.......

Are you aware that the deceased's partner is pushing the case? He wants action and asked the Thai police to pursue the accused.

If your loved one was killed in a moor crash, would you not pursue justice?

We need to remember we are not equal here , its not good old England.

What does that have to do with the circumstances of the death? The man is accused of killing a French woman. Seems to me that you have discounted the French woman's tragic death.

AH ------ NOW I'VE GOT IT------------ Quote ; ( SHE allegedly died from HIS injuries some time after----)

[JohnMiller70]

Horrific account, but another situation where you feel you don't have the whole story.

Yeah, the part missing here is how much did the French scum pay the police. This is how it works, folks, and this is what needs be known. This is what the world needs to know, that this is just another third world country where corruption is the rule

[SoFarAndNear]

Sounds dubious to me, surely if guards are going to sexually assault they would choose younger than 68, some truth in the story no doubt but written for UK tabloid press

What is sexual abuse in your eyes? If someone strips you naked and make fun about your wiener size this is already sexual abuse...

[Bluespunk]

I believe the British granddad. After all, he is an old defenseless foreigner all by himself and Thai woman died.

As some of you have noted, when a Thai drives recklessly and kills innocent people, usually nothing of consequence happens but a foreigner

gets crucified every time.

Many of you laugh these events off believing it can't happen to you. You can stay here and wait your turn.

I am in this country not by choice. There is no doubt, level of violence and severe animosity towards foreigners has escalated dramatically over the years.

Even my wife said she is scared to go out.

We would feel safer and much more respected in another country as soon as my contract ends.

The woman who died was French.

[wvavin]

It's a British again!