Breaking: Thaivisa exclusive: Aussie assaulted in school by Thai says "I am completely innocent."

[webfact]

Breaking: Thaivisa exclusive: Aussie assaulted in school by Thai says "I am completely innocent."

 

Image: Daily News

 

The Australian pensioner knocked to the ground in a school car park after a road rage incident in Pattaya has told Thaivisa he is innocent. (read the story here)

 

And he claims he thought the other man was trying to kill him in the street so he went to get "a garden tool". (read the story here).

 

We managed to track down 72 year old Gerard Collins and his Thai wife Pattama who were at Pattaya Police station trying to sort out the situation at 1pm today.

 

Asked if he was in anyway at fault Mr Collins was adamant:

 

"Absolutely not," he said. "The other guy started it".

 

Mr Collins said that there had been an incident on his way to Aksorn Suksa school in Pattaya to pick up his nine year old daughter.

 

"I was just on my way to school," he said. "Three or four times there was a pushing match on the road".

 

He said he felt threatened by the other man - now known to be 28 year old Sumet Rungratanaphan, a gold shop owner in South Pattaya.

 

"I went to get a garden tool, a chopper, from the back of my car to protect myself.

 

"I told him to stop but he kept on coming for me," Mr Collins said over the phone from the police station.

 

"I got the chopper to make him stop and I bashed his car up a bit, in the back too.

 

"I thought he was going to kill me"

 

After that Mr Collins claimed that when he got back in his car the other man "jumped in front of my car and jumped on the bonnet".

 

His car suffered a broken windscreen.

 

Some posters believed that the Australian had tried to run down the Thai after video evidence emerged probably from a dash cam.

 

Regarding the incident at the school when Sumet smacked him in the face in full view of a cop, teachers and students he said:

 

"I can't remember exactly what happened. The police were talking to me and the next thing I knew I had been bashed and I was on the ground".

 

The video of the attack was taken by a Daily News reporter at the scene and left little room for argument. Police did not move to immediately arrest Sumet.

 

The Australian said that he had lived in Thailand for 15 years and had never had any trouble with anyone.

 

He has been married to his wife Pattama for 13 or 14 years, he said.

 

Following the hurried interview with Thaivisa he was once again called back into the police interview room where discussions were taking place.

 

His wife told Thaivisa moments earlier that she expected that her husband would not be fined over the incident.

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-10-12

[richard_smith237]

4 minutes ago, webfact said:

"I got the chopper to make him stop and I bashed his car up a bit, in the back too.

 

"I thought he was going to kill me"

 

Idiotic - He thought the Thai Guy was going to kill him so instead of protecting himself and driving off he got out of his car, grabbed an machete and approached the Thai, threatened him and damaged his car...

 

This has to be some of the dumbest back-peddaling I've read... the Australian should be in Hospital getting a full check up, he clearly hasn't come to his senses !

 

There is no dressing up what happened... The Australian guy escalated the situation to Assault - it really is that simple.... He needs to face charges, as does the Thai man for his re-escalation and retaliation after the Police were on the scene. 

[darksidedog]

Maybe the headline should read "Australian man tries for first place in bullshitting competition."

[Dave67]

Innocent ?

[impulse]

The plot thickens.  Seems that even 2 videos may not be enough.  I wonder if a prequel to the prequel will ever pop up?

 

[Birdbrain]

Assault with banned weapon, threatening to kill, hit and run, attempted to kill with car are all serious charges.

The Thai man was nearly killed or nearly crippled.

The old man must pay few millions to not go to jail for few years.

The old man is owed a broken jaw.

[aussiandrew]

You can see how cameras can work for your case or work against your case. It's quite clear.

[balo]

I wonder if the Aussie has a criminal record ? No normal people would behave like that .  

[thailand49]

Fellas, give the Expat a break, he's been here 15 years it is bound to happen?  If any of you ever been to any of the Askorn school to pick up your kid it is a mine field of what is wrong with the driving here. You can see first hand in slow motions watch how they think and the decisions that are made in driving. That is why majority of the time I took the motorbike, you can only be amused so much.

What happen he was acting Thai, pulled out a weapon and then try to B.S. his way out of it like a Thai. What went wrong was when he decided to talk his way out instead of sucker punching the Thai.

[animalmagic]

19 minutes ago, balo said:

I wonder if the Aussie has a criminal record ? No normal people would behave like that .  

That's how normal people get a criminal record in the first place!

[petermik]

Silly old bugger sorry.....

[Rc2702]

Dash cams front and back are advisable.

[OmegaRacer]

Been in Thailand too long and gone native me thinks.

[1337markus]

I wonder if all the lower deck lawyers commenting on this issue were in his shoes at the time would do as they think. Its easy to criticize being ring side; maybe when it happens to you there will be a different outcome. The second video is poor quality and we have no view of what is happening after he gets the garden tool from the back of the vehicle; so you cant comment on that event. You basically have hearsay ( fake news) and the first video. Ask yourselves how many times have we seen here or actual; of baht bus drivers, tuk tuk drivers, taxi drivers with weapons in their vehicles and use them as a threat when they get in a road rage situation, not much different here then. Just move on forget about this, the damage is done not so much to the old guys face but Pattaya tourism will take a blow. Pineapple eyes wont be happy the TAT stats will change.

[atyclb]

there actually are some farang that start fights or are abusive. recently saw a farang with lots of muscles and a small shirt so everyone would see them started to cause a fight in a disco. he looked drunk and maybe underlying brain problems related to steroid use. club security surrounded him and defused it.

[cornishcarlos]

Lets have a Wai from both, 500 baht fine and move along... 

[wonder6281]

Well something happened to cause the tension in the Soi initially. 

 

Why were the cars stationary? 

 

If they were still dueling then he could not have got out to retrieve his weapon.  

 

I suspect that the Thai is not free from blame either! 

[wvavin]

So this Aussie has been greatly infected by the local STUDITY disease! 

[vukovar77]

Aussie old thug  is guilty and should go to jail cos. murder attempt and after that kicked out from Thailand.

[NextStationBangkok]

I don't blame the Farang, all he did for his defense.

 

Thai guy should be put in life for attempted murder on a old man, infront of police. Luckily the reporter quickly published the video, otherwise you would have gone free paying nuisance fees, mire 500.

[NextStationBangkok]

I don't blame the Farang, all he did for his defense.

 

Thai guy should be put in life for attempted murder on a old man, infront of police. Luckily the reporter quickly published the video, otherwise you would have gone free paying nuisance fees, mire 500.

[Dene16]

34 minutes ago, 1337markus said:

The second video is poor quality and we have no view of what is happening after he gets the garden tool from the back of the vehicle; so you cant comment on that event.

So he doesn't go running at the other car/driver then. On his own admission he states he beat the car up a bit, If someone is running at you with a machete with your wife and child in the car, are you supposed to assume its just a joke or he's just scared

You obviously think these are the actions of a mentally stable individual

He tried to state that the Thai threw himself on his car. You do not roll off a vehicle in the manner he did if that was true (unless the Thai was a part time stunt man)

The Thai may of stopped his car in front to have some sort of altercation with him but it does not change the Aussies lunatic actions

When you lie/change your story to the extent that the Aussie has, you know. deep down. who is at fault

 

[Dene16]

34 minutes ago, 1337markus said:

The second video is poor quality and we have no view of what is happening after he gets the garden tool from the back of the vehicle; so you cant comment on that event.

So he doesn't go running at the other car/driver then. On his own admission he states he beat the car up a bit, If someone is running at you with a machete with your wife and child in the car, are you supposed to assume its just a joke or he's just scared

You obviously think these are the actions of a mentally stable individual

He tried to state that the Thai threw himself on his car. You do not roll off a vehicle in the manner he did if that was true (unless the Thai was a part time stunt man)

The Thai may of stopped his car in front to have some sort of altercation with him but it does not change the Aussies lunatic actions

When you lie/change your story to the extent that the Aussie has, you know. deep down. who is at fault

 

[connda]

Well, to be honest, he's simply using the same excuses as any Thai driver in the same situation would use.  Obviously he has been thoroughly culturalized.  
"When in Rome.........."  Wai and a 500 THB fine.  

[Kieran00001]

50 minutes ago, steve C said:

Your a F-- king joke mate saying crap like that. You are a newbie, wait till it's your turn

 

Watch the clip, as soon as he is overtaken he jumps out and grabs his machete and goes to attack him, there is no time for him to feel his life was threatened as he claims, I wonder what you would be saying if it were the Thai who grabbed the machete, threatened him and smashed up his car?

[Sirbergan]

Grabbing a weapon from the trunk, then running towards the alleged aggressor is typical behavior for someone defending themselves, fearing for their life

 

He may be an old fool, but he's not fooling anyone.

[Kieran00001]

15 minutes ago, NextStationBangkok said:

I don't blame the Farang, all he did for his defense.

 

Thai guy should be put in life for attempted murder on a old man, infront of police. Luckily the reporter quickly published the video, otherwise you would have gone free paying nuisance fees, mire 500.

 

What defense, of having a car in front of him?  That was all that had happened, he had overtaken him and stopped.  The farang went for him with a machete, he is the one who should be charged not the man who hit him, and how could punching someone be construed as attempted murder, bizarre.

[Psimbo]

Trial by Thaigeezer again. Is it time to mention 'Boy' yet?

[khunpa]

Example of what happens to a Farang, who lives in Thailand for too long.

 

You start making excuses, telling lies and blaming all others, just to avoid losing face.

[Sirbergan]

3 minutes ago, khunpa said:

Example of what happens to a Farang, who lives in Thailand for too long.

 

You start making excuses, telling lies and blaming all others, just to avoid losing face.

Hold on, not all of us living here for a long time adopt their bad (or good) habits.