Lady of the Hills: British husband could face prosecution for crime committed abroad

[webfact]

Lady of the Hills: British husband could face prosecution for crime committed abroad

 

Picture: Daily News

 

Thai media has reported that the justice ministry could prosecute the British husband of a Thai woman found dead on the Yorkshire Moors in England fifteen years ago. 

 

Should the husband be convicted of murder he would face execution or a lengthy prison term in Thailand even though the case centers on something that happened abroad. British police in South Yorkshire who reopened the case said last year that they are treating it as a murder inquiry. 

 

Thaivisa stresses that David Armitage - an English lecturer at Rajabhat University in Kanchanaburi - is not under suspicion in connection with the disappearance of his wife Lamduan Seekanya. 

 

Requests through his supervisor for a comment have not been answered. Though The Sun in England reported earlier this week that he had denied being a murderer. 

 

Now the mother of the deceased woman in Udon Thani has repeated claims that her husband told his children that their mother had run off with another man. 

 

Jumsri Seekanya said she is not pointing the finger at her husband but asks why he lied to his children. 

 

An Asian looking female was found dead by a hiker in Horton in Ribblesdale in 2004 and the police initially thought it was an accident. She was buried in a local church yard and became known by locals as "The Lady of the Hills". 

 

But after the cold case was reviewed last year and DNA and fingerprint evidence came from Thailand it was confirmed that the body was that of Lamduan who had gone missing in 2004 shortly after returning from Thailand. 

 

The couple had two children and there was a third child with a Thai man who preceded their relationship. 

 

Thaivisa understands that Khwan Seekanya - the child from the Thai/Thai relationship - was left in England with grandparents when David Armitage returned to Thailand with his biological children, a boy and a girl. 

 

In latest developments Tawatchai Thaikhiaw, a deputy at the Justice Ministry has suggested that Article 8 (khor khai) could be enacted to prosecute the husband if there is shown to be a case to answer. 

 

The article relates to crimes committed against Thai nationals abroad by foreigners. For murder in such cases the guilty can be put to death or jailed for 15 to 20 years. 

 

Prawin Janthong, a deputy minister, has also said that financial assistance could be provided to the family of Lamduan in this case, reported Daily News. That money could be used to fight the case.

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

Thai Rath went to Phen district of Udon to meet the mother and father of Lamduan, Jumsri and Buasa Seekanya. 

 

They had just got back from buying items to perform religious rites for their long missing daughter. 

 

Jumsri said she was not pointing the finger at David Armitage but she wants to get to the truth. 

 

She said that after the couple went to live in England her daughter reported to her that her husband assaulted her and she wanted to come back to Thailand. 

 

Then contact ceased. She claimed that David lied to his children telling them that their mother had left him for another man. She said he had been back in Thailand for more than ten years.

 

"I am not blaming him but what am I to think", she said. "This has gone on for 15 years". She implored her two grandchildren from David and Lamduan's marriage to get in touch with her. 

 

Attempts by Thaivisa to contact David through his supervisor at the university have so far gone unanswered though the supervisor has read Line messages. 

 

Thaivisa understands that the couple had lived in Portsmouth on the south coast of England before moving in with his parents in the north of the country. 

 

Thaivisa also understands that Mr Armitage was familiar with the area where the body was found after spending much time there as a teenager. 

 

Source: Daily News | Thai Rath

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-03-21

 

[stillhereandlovinit]

Run while you can

[evadgib]

UK wouldn't co-operate with such folly & could probably be sued if they tried.

[rwdrwdrwd]

Nick him while you can. Well sketchy scenario.

[The Stranger]

He better <deleted> of thailand ASAP.

[dotpoom]

"Thaivisa stresses that David Armitage - an English lecturer at Rajabhat University in Kanchanaburi - is not under suspicion in connection with the disappearance of his wifeLamduan Seekanya. "

   I'd hate to see what they would write about him if he Was under suspicion?

[dotpoom]

2 hours ago, stillhereandlovinit said:

Run while you can

Would you say the same thing if it was your own daughter?

[chrisinth]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Now the mother of the deceased woman in Udon Thani has repeated claims that her husband told his children that their mother had run off with another man. 

 

Jumsri Seekanya said she is not pointing the finger at her husband but asks why he lied to his children.

Not saying its right or wrong, but even if he did say this to his children, that she had run off with another man, who can say that this isn't true? And if it did happen like this, who is to say that the man she ran off with didn't kill her?

 

But what does get to me is that an on-going investigation is being dragged through the media, initially being reported by not the most reliable tabloid source in the UK. It used to be that reporting like this would always work in the favour of the accused; defence claiming the reporting is biasing all the jury members. And yes, I'm talking about juries in the UK, not this nonsense that Thailand would be trying him.

[stanleycoin]

Quote

Now the mother of the deceased woman in Udon Thani has repeated claims that her husband told his children that their mother had run off with another man. 

Not saying it is true or not.

But the grass is always greener on the other side, to some people,

even when that have it all,   in our home countries.

A guy down the end of the road from me many years ago, come home from work

to find his lovely Thai wife had left him for another man.

This is the best bit,  she run off with the guy who owned the jewellers shop in the high street. ( the gold shop owner )  how Thai is that.  

 

 

[SkyNets]

Somebody is warming up his poster printing press!

[atyclb]

tried, convicted and sentenced by the tvf

 

nothing in addition is needed 

[sanemax]

Just now, atyclb said:

tried, convicted and sentenced by the tvf

 

nothing in addition is needed 

Posters think that he may be guilty .

What is your problem ?

[atyclb]

1 minute ago, sanemax said:

2 minutes ago, atyclb said:

tried, convicted and sentenced by the tvf

 

nothing in addition is needed 

Posters think that he may be guilty .

What is your problem ?

 

 

did my post not elude to that?

[sanemax]

Just now, atyclb said:

 

 

did my post not elude to that?

What was your point ?

[leeneeds]

EVIDENCE lacking! 

or now admitting a shoddy investigation in the first instance,

[Hogs]

_{NO EVIDENCE, UK POLICE SAYING HE IS NOT A SUSPECT} 

<sub>but everyone happy to hang the guy 

DISGUSTING pos</sub> 

[marquis22]

4 hours ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Thais won't need co-operation.

 

They will make it up as they go along as they normally do.

 

With a bit of bullying, extortion and perhaps torture thrown in. 

Plus no Myanmars found walking around the hills to blame.

[kamahele]

No evidence of a crime and the death ruled accidental. While it looks curious, we should wait for actual evidence before concluding there was a murder committed.

[sanemax]

Just now, kamahele said:

No evidence of a crime and the death ruled accidental. While it looks curious, we should wait for actual evidence before concluding there was a murder committed.

The death was ruled "inconclusive" , which means that they dont know

[GinBoy2]

Without wanting to become a keyboard jurist.

 

The stats are what matter, and may give a clue

 

The CDC did a study of all women murdered in the US. 55% were killed by current or former romantic partners.

 

So I have no idea if the guy is guilty or not, but there is a reason he is a person of interest for sure

[bristolgeoff]

Don,t knowu can do that was he charged in the UK for it.will be interesting to see if it happens 

[rott]

1 hour ago, atyclb said:

 

 

did my post not elude to that?

Allude.

[Ossy]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Thaivisa stresses that David Armitage . . . . . is not under suspicion in connection with the disappearance of his wife Lamduan Seekanya. 

I guess that's why he's feeling totally relaxed about all these stories of his disappearing ex. . . . . even though he might get the chop if the Thai legislature has one of its funny turns.

[kg1947]

DNA data matched that of the VICTIM .....

So - she died .... somebody need to be responsible ........

[Briggsy]

4 minutes ago, kg1947 said:

DNA data matched that of the VICTIM .....

So - she died .... somebody need to be responsible ........

I am finding it difficult to understand what you are on about. Would you care to be clearer?

[Aussie999]

6 hours ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Thais won't need co-operation.

 

They will make it up as they go along as they normally do.

 

With a bit of bullying, extortion and perhaps torture thrown in. 

"Thais won't need co-operation.," really, then how would they be able to prosecute, when all, if any, evidence is in the UK?

[Khun Paul]

Xenophobia rears its head, a Thai died, not here, but there IS a LAW which allows a foreigner not wanted or suspected to be tried in a THAI court with no evidence apart from some words from a relative and they could be sentenced to death.

THAI LAW IS A JOKE AND VERY VERY DANGEROUS 

 

Mr Armitage LEAVE NOW WHILE YOU CAN 

[Arkady]

Section 9 of the English law Offences Against the Person Act provides for the prosecution in England of British citizens suspected of committing murder abroad and there have been prosecutions under this law in recent years. One that comes to mind was for the murder of a British citizen by another British citizen in Greece.  I think the main reason for this was that the witnesses were in the UK and may have expressed unwillingness to travel to Greece for the trial but were happy to testify in the UK.

 

In this case, I imagine that British police would want to extradite and prosecute in the UK, since they have the evidence there and there are unlikely to be witnesses in Thailand. In any event they would not be permitted to cooperate in a capital case abroad, unless the foreign government made an assurance that the prosecutor would not seek the death sentence.  In addition I don't think that Thailand's Penal Code has a provision similar to Section 9 of the Offences Against the Person Act and the situation is anyway reversed with the victim being a Thai citizen, rather than the suspect.  It is possible that the victim had become a British citizen by the time she was murdered anyway, which would utterly negate any claim of jurisdiction by Thailand.

 

In all this seems to be a rather frivolous suggestion. The UK will request extradition, if there is sufficient evidence, and Thailand should comply.  

[bander]

6 hours ago, stillhereandlovinit said:

Run while you can

Assaulting wife who wants to go back to Thailand, lying to children that mother have left him for another guy, familiar with the location where she was found dead. Seems like they have enough to arrest him for questioning.

[sanemax]

17 minutes ago, Khun Paul said:

Xenophobia rears its head, a Thai died, not here, but there IS a LAW which allows a foreigner not wanted or suspected to be tried in a THAI court with no evidence apart from some words from a relative and they could be sentenced to death.

THAI LAW IS A JOKE AND VERY VERY DANGEROUS 

 

Mr Armitage LEAVE NOW WHILE YOU CAN 

Yes, go back to the UK and speak to the Police to clear it up