'I still have nightmares,' says British grandmother who was beaten unconscious in Thailand

[snoop1130]

'I still have nightmares,' says British grandmother who was beaten unconscious in Thailand
By Andrew Marszal, new delhi



HUA HIN -- The British grandmother who was brutally attacked at a popular Thai beach resort last month has described her ordeal for the first time, telling a court that she “still has nightmares”.

Rosemary Owen, 65, and husband Lewis, 68, were in court to give testimony before a judge on Monday afternoon in Hua Hin, the tourist hotspot where they were beaten senseless along with their 43-year-old son by four Thai men in April.

The horrific attack made headlines around the world after graphic footage captured on a nearby CCTV camera was published online.

Full Story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/02/i-still-have-nightmares-says-british-grandmother-who-was-beaten/

-- The Telegraph 2016-05-03

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British family attacked in Thailand recount assault in court

BANGKOK (AP) — A British couple in their 60s who were brutally attacked during a family holiday in Thailand recounted the assault Monday in court, after a visit from government officials bearing gifts and apologies.

Rosemary and Lewis Owen and their 43-year-old son were vacationing last month in the resort town of Hua Hin when a group of four allegedly drunken Thai men attacked them. A video of the April 13 assault was widely shared in Thailand and drew global attention to the attack, in which the three tourists were punched in the faces, knocked down and kicked until they fell unconscious.

Police have said the attack started after the Owens' son accidentally bumped into one of the Thai men on a crowded street. Police have arrested four suspects who face charges of aggravated group assault which carry a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

The attack was the latest blow to Thailand's image as a tourist haven and has prompted officials to vow swift punishment for the perpetrators.

Panadda Diskul, a minister in the Thai Prime Minister's Office, visited the couple in a Hua Hin hospital Monday. Thai media reported that he apologized on behalf of the Thai government and promised the suspects would face trial.

He was accompanied by the Hua Hin police superintendent, the Hua Hin mayor and the provincial governor, Thai media reported. They presented the couple with fruit baskets, flowers and other gifts.

Rosemary Owen, 65, suffered a serious head injury that resulted in surgery to remove a buildup of fluid in the brain. Her 68-year-old husband and 43-year-old son, who left Thailand last week, both required stitches in the head.

"The couple looked better. I saw them smiling and relaxed, which was not the case last week when they were frightened, upset and angry, understandably," said police superintendant Col. Chaiyakorn Sriladecho. "The doctor said this morning that their wounds are healing fine and that there shouldn't be any more complications."

Ahead of the couple's scheduled flight home on Tuesday, they were taken to the Hua Hin court for their testimonies to be recorded.

"Their testimonies today will be used for the trial later. We asked them to do this so they won't have to travel back to Thailand once the trial begins," Chaiyakorn said.

Details of their testimony were not made public.

The trial date has not yet been set.


-- (c) Associated Press 2016-05-03

[z42]

I feel for her. The judiciary here simply have to make an example of these cowardly idiots who stomped and kicked her on the deck.

The guy who laid in with the muay thai kick to the face should get the maximum penalty. Pretty sure 500baht fines are off the menu now that international media are reporting on it

[dick dasterdly]

Oh good, the trial date has not been set - they were just giving evidence before the actual trial.

[gamini]

I feel for her. The judiciary here simply have to make an example of these cowardly idiots who stomped and kicked her on the deck.

The guy who laid in with the muay thai kick to the face should get the maximum penalty. Pretty sure 500baht fines are off the menu now that international media are reporting on it

Hua Hin is not Pattaya. I am told they will get 4 years jail!

[aussiandrew]

I would like to wish her and her husband a safe comfortable return trip to UK and hopefully put this whole sorry nightmare behind them and enjoy life together.

Best wishes.

[Thechook]

Oh good, the trial date has not been set - they were just giving evidence before the actual trial.

I thought the tourist courts were designed to speed up the process, have everything completed before farang returns home. Have they gone by the wayside like reporting crimes at 7/11?

[canuckamuck]

A lot is still to be decided. All the evidence will need to be collected, counted, placed into brown envelopes, then handed in to be examined. I think the Thai guys are going to need a lot of evidence to be found innocent. Even the recent Mercedes killer is likely to have some charges stick.

[marko kok prong]

They must be tearing out their hair at the TAT head office.

[chasntong]

I feel for her. The judiciary here simply have to make an example of these cowardly idiots who stomped and kicked her on the deck.

The guy who laid in with the muay thai kick to the face should get the maximum penalty. Pretty sure 500baht fines are off the menu now that international media are reporting on it

You hope, depends on who their relations are, give it a few more weeks and everything will be back to normal.

[phantomfiddler]

It will be interesting to see what the sentences are. A wrist slap will be a slap in the face for every farang in the country.

[BritManToo]

It will be interesting to see what the sentences are. A wrist slap will be a slap in the face for every farang in the country.

As they are already out on bail, I think I can guess the sentences.

[Rimmer]

A troll post has been removed

[ebonykap]

"The couple looked better. I saw them smiling and relaxed, which was not the case last week when they were frightened, upset and angry, understandably,"

Oh, goody gumdrops! I'm sure they will soon forget this minor incident and rush back to Thailand in the very near future.

[happy Joe]

Me too I also do every night the same nightmare: An old lady threw himself on me to hit me...

Difficult to describe the person as her face is scary.

This is why I sympathize with the pain and joined up with all the bright feathers of Thai Visa to whine in unison.

OK I go...

[Khun Paul]

One assumes that Thai Visa will be at the forefront of watching this trial and making sure the whole world is amde aware of the outcome of the TRIAL, sentencing etc or not as the case may be.

many many expats are looking to the courts to hand down the severest of penalties and rightly so, not just because of the attack but the severity of the attack and their AGE of the victims.

[nakhonandy]

I think not only the expat community but also the majority of Thai people (that know about it) want to see harsh punishment for these scum, especially the coward that kick the grandmother.

[cat handler]

I would like to hear their answers when questioned about their assault of the Thai men,

Definitely not innocent victims

[FredNL]

An assault with at least 20 day hospitalisation and lifetime injuries will have a jail term from 2 to 10 years according to Thai law.

[Broeno]

Ok Panadda Disku. Now on a run to the Myanmar two.

[JHolmesJr]

Hua Hin is not Pattaya. I am told they will get 4 years jail!

HH is the vacation home of the King…his backyard so to speak. If this kind of unacceptable criminal activity persists here, it says that the authorities there do not respect this fact. Maximum permissible sentences for all involved.

[ChoakMyDee]

We normally never hear about sentencing in these cases. I hope there is information made public when they are sentenced.

[northernphil]

Hua Hin is not Pattaya. I am told they will get 4 years jail!

HH is the vacation home of the King…his backyard so to speak. If this kind of unacceptable criminal activity persists here, it says that the authorities there do not respect this fact. Maximum permissible sentences for all involved.

A good deduction Mr Holmes , I lived in HH about 9 years ago and I thought there was a great deal of respect from the locals as the town had the Palace and the locals were very proud of this , so I think and hope you are right.

[BritManToo]

Hua Hin is not Pattaya. I am told they will get 4 years jail!

HH is the vacation home of the Kinghis backyard so to speak. If this kind of unacceptable criminal activity persists here, it says that the authorities there do not respect this fact. Maximum permissible sentences for all involved.

A good deduction Mr Holmes , I lived in HH about 9 years ago and I thought there was a great deal of respect from the locals as the town had the Palace and the locals were very proud of this , so I think and hope you are right.

The General clearly hate foreigners, I'm thinking he's the one in charge.

Funny that we haven't heard any comment from him so far?

Edited May 3, 2016 by BritManToo

[mrfaroukh]

I like this news 10 years for the assault. It will give a good signal to the others who try to do the same.

[D3030]

I made a comment, not sure if it made it (internet problems) or was tagged as a troll post?

But hear it goes again.

This old women from Wales should have started her testimony by apologizing to the Thai man she slapped and shoved - period!!

I guess if she verbally admits she contributed to her own face getting kicked, she would be admitting guilt as being part of, not just an innocent victim of this incident..

Anyone with common sense knows her actions caused the fight to escalate to the point to where it did..

But she's on her way home as the Thai's justifiably go to trial for their actions...

[williamgeorgeallen]

It will be interesting to see what the sentences are. A wrist slap will be a slap in the face for every farang in the country.

actually having a trial will put the event back in the spot light so it will probably be delayed indefinitely after the perps are released on bail. think this is the reason we so seldom hear of the outcome of high profile court cases. delayed past the statue of limitations is standard practice.

[tx22cb]

The General clearly hate foreigners, I'm thinking he's the one in charge.

Funny that we haven't heard any comment from him so far?

The General is wise to stay silent. Last year he opened his mouth about an assault on a foreign couple and bizarrely blamed the woman for wearing a swimsuit at a beach.

[NoshowJones]

I would like to hear their answers when questioned about their assault of the Thai men,

Definitely not innocent victims

Just supposing, and I emphasis supposing, that the three British people did start the rammy, the reports say the son was drunk, could the four Thai guys not just hold the

parents off without kicking them? The drunk son did not seem to be sober enough to do anything.

There is no excuse whatsoever for what the Thai guys did to the parents, I'm sure that one average Farang man could easily hold off the parents if they were being

attacked by them without kicking them in the head. The result of the court case should be very obvious. Four Thai guys against a drunk and two oldies, one a female?????

Edited May 3, 2016 by possum1931

[Stoker58]

Has the woman been charged with assault yet? I clearly saw her slap a Thai man across the face in an unprovoked attack.

[JHolmesJr]

Has the woman been charged with assault yet? I clearly saw her slap a Thai man across the face in an unprovoked attack.

It was the thai who acted physically first, he pushed her son who then fell and hit his head on the kerb....those kind of falls have knocked people senseless or worse. We then see the woman and thai man talking.....it is not clear what he said to her....what if he abused her and then she slapped him....that would make the thai the instigator.

Edited May 3, 2016 by JHolmesJr