reader Posted 6 hours ago Posted 6 hours ago From Pattaya News Pattaya– The Daily Mail website recently reported that a British tourist complained of being allegedly assaulted by Thai police, being detained for 36 hours, and then being forced to pay 15,000 baht for his release after according to him accidentally walking into a traffic barrier. Pattaya police, however, insist they followed legal procedures and did nothing incorrectly. Mr. Andrew Hopkins, a British tourist, told foreign media such as The Daily Mail that he accidentally walked into a traffic barrier while leaving his apartment. A security guard then shouted at him in Thai, which he did not understand, and he tried to apologize. Shortly after, police arrived and arrested him, according to his statement. Andrew claimed that after being detained for more than 36 hours, an unidentified Italian man allegedly informed him that he needed to pay 15,000 baht in cash for his release. He stated that the police took him to withdraw money from an ATM, and two high-ranking officers took the money before releasing him. Pol. Col. Nawin Thirawit, Chief of Pattaya City Police Station, revealed that the original incident occurred on November 22, 2024, at 8:30 PM. Andrew allegedly destroyed a car barrier, not a sign as originally reported, at his lodging, and after being called by security police took him in to calm down, fining him only 100 baht before releasing him. Police say they believed he was heavily intoxicated and disorderly leading to them being called. Later, Andrew returned to his original accommodation, but his room was canceled by his landlord due to an alleged history of making loud noises and problems while drunk, causing another commotion and altercation between Andrew and the owners of his lodging, according to Pattaya police. The owner of the lodging called police again when Andrew allegedly refused to leave and caused a major scene while being heavily intoxicated, according to police and the owners of the lodging, whose name has been withheld pending further investigation. This led to his re-arrest and further legal proceedings and charges. The police confirmed that all property was returned to Andrew, with photographs taken as evidence. They strongly denied stealing anything from Andrew and his claims of extortion. Continues with photos https://thepattayanews.com/2025/02/03/pattaya-police-strongly-deny-assault-and-extortion-claims-by-british-tourist-in-foreign-press-release-evidence-contradicting-his-claims/ Quote
