British man released on bail in Thailand over theft of mobile phone

[smedly]

24 minutes ago, kingstonkid said:

First, he should have been locked up for trying to impersonate a Jamaican man.

 

The proper thing to have done as I am glad someone did for me once gives the phone to the restaurant or store to hold on to.  That way once the person realizes it is missing they can retrace their actions and get it.  

 

The fact that he took it with him we have only his word that he wasn't going to sell it or pawn it for weed.

 

He was a backpacker and they in a lot of thais minds are not that trustworthy as they are too transient

100% correct

 

number one rule - never leave a building/premises if you pick up something that does not belong to you

[richard_smith237]

16 minutes ago, CanterbrigianBangkoker said:

In order to give it in to the nearest cop-shop or council offices/similar organisation where it can be held safely until such time as the rightful owner enquires about it / the authorities in question can find them, unlikely though that is , granted. If you can't even do this much without being charged with 'theft' then something is obviously seriously wrong with the system. Although I'm not entirely sure whether or not the 'handing it in to authorities' part would negate any unlawfulness. If this was your property would you rather it was left in the street where it would undoubtedly get broken or be stolen by a less honest citizen?

 

Thats the way I see it... Just hand it in to the closest shop and forget about it. 

 

 

A second hand tale from the UAE (yes I know not Thailand but the laws in this example are perhaps similar). Two work colleagues at the bar, one leaves and forgets his phone. 

The other colleague, see's his work colleagues phone but has no method of contact until they are at work the following day. He takes the phone with the intention of handing it to his colleague at work the following day. 

The guy who lost the phone reports it missing that night, the Police go to the bar and check CCTV, see the college take the phone with him when leaving the bar, the colleague is arrested for theft. 

The police file charges regardless of the colleague who lost the phone claiming it was all a misunderstanding etc... 

The fact that the second colleague took property that wasn't his away from where is found it was considered theft. 

 

It would seem this is the case in Thailand, it seems a bit of a dubious excuse that the backpacker was waiting to hand the phone in to his owner when they made contact, but also its plausible. 

 

Either way, the plausibility here is sufficient to give cause for far more lenient treatment. This backpacker was treated awfully and it would seem extorted - It was reported by the BBC that his bail was £20,000 (could this have been 20,000 baht)

 

Highly unfair treatment and quite unbalanced treatment.

 

 

 

[smedly]

45 minutes ago, CanterbrigianBangkoker said:

In order to give it in to the nearest cop-shop or council offices/similar organisation where it can be held safely until such time as the rightful owner enquires about it / the authorities in question can find them, unlikely though that is , granted. If you can't even do this much without being charged with 'theft' then something is obviously seriously wrong with the system. Although I'm not entirely sure whether or not the 'handing it in to authorities' part would negate any unlawfulness, but I'm guessing that it surely would. If this was your property would you rather it was left in the street where it would undoubtedly get broken or be stolen by a less honest citizen?

in the street is entirely different to being in a building/premises 

 

As I mentioned earlier - the very important factor in all situations is very simple - "intension"  prosecution must prove you "intended" to permanently deprive the owner of their property, in defence - you must prove you didn't 

[CanterbrigianBangkoker]

26 minutes ago, smedly said:

number one rule - never leave a building/premises if you pick up something that does not belong to you

 

20 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Thats the way I see it... Just hand it in to the closest shop and forget about it. 

 

I see, so the same rules seem to apply in the UAE then. Not expedient to a sense of community in any way at all if you ask me, but maybe I'm naive? I like to think the best of people until they prove me wrong, rather than act on the assumption that everyone is out to con me or screw me over in some way, as the majority are not, IMO.

 

I understand why such laws exist obviously, but it seems overly officious and jobsworthy that the police would still pursue charges against someone who has been vindicated by the owner of the property just because they contravened a rather ambiguous legal code, as in the case of the UAE colleagues. Up until the point that the person in question hands the property over to the relevant authorities, OK - they're fair game, but once they do - or are vindicated by the owner - as in the aforementioned case then obviously no charges should be brought against them, this is the case in most places and I'm sure in reality it would be here, or at least I hope so. The law being as it is - re: inclupating a person who has honest and kind intentions, seems to me opens the door for people of less commendable intentions to do as they please , i.e.: if people are too afraid they'll run the risk of being prosecuted for attempting an act of kindess, then they won't bother - and the same lost or left property will just get nicked by some scally. I realise you have to prove your intentions though - to my mind handing it in immediately does so.

 

[smedly]

9 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

The fact that the second colleague took property that wasn't his away from where is found it was considered theft. 

by the absolute letter of the law - yes

 

but since both parties were together and would see each other the next day it becomes grey - if it was me I would have discussed it with the bar manager before leaving making it very clear my "intention"  leaving my own contact details in case there was a problem

[CanterbrigianBangkoker]

11 minutes ago, smedly said:

in the street in entirely different to being in a building/premises 

 

As I mentioned earlier - the very important factor in all situations is very simple - "intension"  prosecution must prove you "intended" to permanently deprive the owner of their property, in defence - you must prove you didn't 

Yes , agreed.

 

But didn't this dreadlocked fella find the phone outdoors somewhere? Or did he take the phone from inside of a bar/guest house or the like?

[ponder]

I found one in a taxi once, so I suppose I took it away from its location in a way...

 

It turned out to belong to a Chinese woman who could speak neither English nor Thai, but luckily, our school has Chinese teachers, so all ended well (much better than ending up in prison for a couple of weeks).

 

Next time I find one, I will pretend not to notice it. 

[Advocate]

'Picking things up' and selling them in pubs as items that 'fell off the back of a truck' is a customary British act.

 

This foreigner might already have a UK police record for 'picking things up'.

[Vacuum]

On 3/14/2019 at 3:34 AM, worgeordie said:

a Farang

that allegedly stole a phone.

He didn't stole it, he found it. If people can't keep their most precious gadget (apart from their passports) in a safe place without losing it, they're on their own.

[inThailand]

A Thai would never do this? 

 

A Brit though? 

 

wink wink

[smudger1951]

4 hours ago, teatree said:

He found it at the airport.  Common sense would suggest you should walk to information desk at the airport and hand it over.  Not go to you hostel, go out for food and then think about handing it in.

Your comment is exactly right. The owner would retrace their steps and then go to information desk at the airport.

[johng50]

6 hours ago, Mango Bob said:

f this person was Thai, this would have never happened.  Seems like they are targetting foreigners more and more lately.

Unless Thai OR Chinese should be

 

[johng50]

Its a wonder he wasnt given the death penalty.

[johnmcc6]

Won't be long now and news like this will make Thailand top of the don't go there list. Along with the stupid visa crackdown now makes Thailand the land of frowns.

[Guest]

Airports have a “lost and found” … and a paging system! … Any reasonable (and HONEST) person would realize there is a high likelihood the owner would realize their loss in a short time and RETURN to get their phone.

 

It is 2019, and almost every phone has some sort of key code, fingerprint scanner, or protective lock to prevent people from simply opening the phone.  So, how would this person even BEGIN to find the owner?

 

In short, he found a phone and made off with it. Period. Full stop.

 

Willing to bet there is a misunderstanding about the bail … Very good chance that when the (foreigner) press picked this up … they though the “20,000” was Pounds Sterling … not Thai Baht.

20,000 Pounds Sterling is 826,770 Thai Baht … really doubt even our friends in brown could muster the nerve to demand close to a million THB for “phone theft.”

 

[smedly]

39 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

He didn't stole it, he found it. If people can't keep their most precious gadget (apart from their passports) in a safe place without losing it, they're on their own.

you have just created a vacuum

 

oh and you are wrong - found it doesn't work in law

 

if you find something your first thought is - I wonder who owns it...……………..not you

[Cereal]

He deserves 10 days in jail for that pathetic hair style. I'll never be able to understand people who think that looks cool or acceptable in any way.

[Sonhia]

A foreigner is an easy target in such a place like Thailand. Those where the exact words a Thai lawyer told me. 

 

Possessions, investments etc... mean nothing, even if a farang is married with correct and legitimate documents, all can be taken away and so easily too. There are no guarantees here. People tend to forget that fact! 

 

I would never invest money here or buy a car, pick up, condo, land, home, expensive motorbike etc... If I cannot put it into my bag, I don't buy.

[geoff65]

5 hours ago, ChipButty said:

What are you supposed to do? leave it there and dont touch it?

Yep

[Vacuum]

10 minutes ago, Sonhia said:

I would never invest money here

Neither would I, unless I could walk away fom eventual loss of 'investments" without going bankrupt.

[uli65]

and Thailand should blacklist this fool for at least 5 years.

[rwill]

5 hours ago, ChipButty said:

What are you supposed to do? leave it there and dont touch it?

and take it back to your hotel(hostel) like he did?  Surely the airport has a lost and found.  Drop it off there.

[hotchilli]

Maybe he was making a big mistake, but Jail??

Thailand is fast losing it's appeal, one day Thailand might just realise theire main source of income & employment is within the tourist sector, should they choose en-mass to go elsewhere because Thailand just isn't worth the risk anymore they could be in serious trouble.

 

[maxcorrigan]

4 hours ago, Vacuum said:

Looks more like the 'hair' came with the cap he bought.

Yes does look a bit like the hair came with it, otherwise he looks the sort that would be wearing the cap backwards, either way he's a bit of a prat taking the phone home which amounts to stealing in anyones books!

[keystonecoppers2]

 

 

                           Just do not try to be helpful in this country. There`s always

                           someone who try to make something out of it, no matter what!

                           Stay on your path, and don`t believe anyone!  Sad, but this is

                           what happens here. You can read about it almost every day!

 

                           And 20 grand, for trying to be helpful, even if he did do it in the

                           wrong sequence, he should not be needed to pay 1 bath!!

                           

                           But the taxi drivers are clean as new fresh snow, always!!!

                       

[myshem]

What a country of idiots !

[Derek B]

4 hours ago, ivor bigun said:

When you read the whole story,he picks up phone in airport ,lots of places to hand it in ,but no he goes back to hotel ,then goes out ,comes back,gets arrested ,stealing by finding.

Sent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

In Scotland it is called theft by retention.

[keystonecoppers2]

 

 

                                     And I have to add:  I don`t think the phone belonged

                                     to a Thai person, they have them glued to their palms,

                                     24/7!!!  

[MeePeeMai]

24 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Maybe he was making a big mistake, but Jail??

 

No jail.  Just chop off his right hand this time (and the next time he loses his left hand).  Problem solved.

[peterb17]

Well let’s think about it - a hippy type- who has not washed his hair for several years- bumming around SE Asia , living in hostels finds a phone ( I have no idea what type of phone) but considering some phones cost a small fortune £1000 , 40000+ Baht 

 

He thinks - OK - this will pay for all my fluorescent body paint and magic mushroom shakes at the next full moon party.

 

Of course I mean no disrespect and he is an upstanding member of society who contributes in every way to helping those who can perhaps not afford to travel the world finding themselves ( with dreadlocks )