Australian Gunmen Walk Free After Short Phuket Prison Stint

[Trouble]

"In America these clowns would be hailed as heroes by the NRA. They were the good guys, Knudsen was the bad guy and the Germans were collateral damage." What a stupid statement whatever your view is on guns.

[waza]

Sounds like their club fronted the bribe money then let them do the time instead of the fine to teach them a lesson for being so stupid.

Thai police are investigating whether Cohen, from NSW, and Shea, from Tasmania, have links to the Bandidos motorcycle gang, said to be expanding from Australia to Phuket.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/local-mafia-and-australian-bikies-aussie-duo-charged-with-attempted-murder-over-shooting-in-thailand-20130123-2d7bb.html#ixzz2TlJx4K4b

Some gang paraphernalia has been found, police said today. However, a caller to Phuketwan said the motorcycle club involved was the Rebels MC.

Police on Phuket have been warned to be wary of Bandidos bikie gang members who have been spotted on the island making visits from Pattaya and Samui.

Australian bikies with dubious reputations are now infiltrating Thailand and gang members have opened businesses on Phuket, reports an Australian newspaper. Hells Angels and Bandidos club members "own nightspots in Thailands tourist centres that have become popular haunts for bikies worldwide, "

Edited May 19, 2013 by waza

[iSabai]

In America these clowns would be hailed as heroes by the NRA. They were the good guys, Knudsen was the bad guy and the Germans were collateral damage.

That old saying "better to keep silent and be thought a fool, than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt" comes to mind here.

[wiyada]

Simply unbelievable, even in this country.

Attempted murder, wounding and the prison term is less than you'd get for slandering someone.

The legal system here is the absolute pits.

<deleted>.... this must be a joke ! if not, please everybody, let this go viral around the globe, even to Mars and the Moon so that future tourists there are aware better to stay in space instead to go to the banana kingdom, named Thailand, land of bribes and corruption...

We know its a banana republic, that's why lots of us like it yep we love bananas

[Ulic]

Amazing Thailand. I would ask who they knew and how much did they pay but they took the jail time at 200 baht a day

rather than pay a 7,500 baht fine so it seems they did not.

[Arkady]

Word on the street in Patong is that the tariff was 25 large. I got that from someone who knows one of the forkwits quite well. I hope the story is well-reported in Aus, just so Aussies know what this place is about. I wonder what the Aus Consul has to say about this? I would guess he has no comment ......

Something wrong with this story. You suggest they paid off police, prosecutors, judge with 25 something - million baht, thousand dollars, thousand pouds? But they were unable or unwilling to pay their Bt 7,500 fines and did 40 days' in jail in lieue.

I wonder if that is the end of the judicial process. Are they still to be tried on other related charges? If not, this is absurd. I think the penalty for just possessing an unlicensed firearm is up to 10 years, let alone carrying it in public and discharging it at people in a crowded place with intent to kill resulting in wounding two people. This should draw 10 - 20 years.

Edited May 19, 2013 by Arkady

[Bikkii]

Lets not forget a few key points with this story,

Some worthless low life scum ripped off an Australian bikie gang (set up shop here in Phuket) with unpaid bike rentals

How have the Thais allowed these bikie gangs to set up shop here?????

Watch the s@@t hit the fan in the next year or two, too late, bikie gangs will win their/Thai turf.

Scary shit, look at Sydney and how we let these fools rule the roost in our once beautiful city.

This time I am on the Thai side!

[F4UCorsair]

What I found interesting was that these two losers (or maybe winners?) chose to do time at 200 baht a day rather than pay a 7500 baht fine!!! Astounding, 6 bucks a day to save 250 bucks!!! These tattoo artists are no doubt people of considerable financial substance!

[wwex]

What I found interesting was that these two losers (or maybe winners?) chose to do time at 200 baht a day rather than pay a 7500 baht fine!!! Astounding, 6 bucks a day to save 250 bucks!!! These tattoo artists are no doubt people of considerable financial substance!

tattoos are in big demand in thai jails, they may not have done so badly out of it

[theajarn]

Sounds like their club fronted the bribe money then let them do the time instead of the fine to teach them a lesson for being so stupid.

Thai police are investigating whether Cohen, from NSW, and Shea, from Tasmania, have links to the Bandidos motorcycle gang, said to be expanding from Australia to Phuket.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/local-mafia-and-australian-bikies-aussie-duo-charged-with-attempted-murder-over-shooting-in-thailand-20130123-2d7bb.html#ixzz2TlJx4K4b

Some gang paraphernalia has been found, police said today. However, a caller to Phuketwan said the motorcycle club involved was the Rebels MC.

Police on Phuket have been warned to be wary of Bandidos bikie gang members who have been spotted on the island making visits from Pattaya and Samui.

Australian bikies with dubious reputations are now infiltrating Thailand and gang members have opened businesses on Phuket, reports an Australian newspaper. Hells Angels and Bandidos club members "own nightspots in Thailands tourist centres that have become popular haunts for bikies worldwide, "

Oh great! It's about time we saw these bikers killing each other on Thai soil. That should be amusing for the while... and the Thai authorities will be shit hopeless trying to clean up after them. No, they'll just stand aside and take bribes...

But on the other hand from what I've read these bikers don't f•ck with 'normal' folk. There are a few loose cannons but they are policed by their own biker club. I mean, choose your poison -- tuk-tuk mafia or international biker groups. Which one would you go with?

[simple1]

This stuff should be broadcast worldwide to warn folk.

The problem is Transam, nobody really give a shit about Thailand. I posted this story on my facebook, people answered about like this: It's a third world country, what do you expect?

Yes.

But I really don't think it should be broadcast worldwide. If it is, it's likely to attract more criminals to come here. Plus I don't think this type of warped 'justice' only applies to Phuket.

Convicted police killers released on bail in Kalasin is the worst case I've heard. The Thai justice system (if that's the right word) is FUBAR.

Maybe Mafia killed Mafia there in Kalasin ?

No, the RTP were convicted of torture and then hanging a 17 year old boy during Thanksin's "War on Drugs". Some received the death sentence/life imprisonment, but were released on bail upon appeal

[jsflynn603]

This sends a clear incentive to criminals to come to Phuket to do crime.

Get caught here, and all you do is buy your way out of it.

Interesting times ahead for Phuket.

Sounds rather like the USA, consider the IRS scandal, the LIBOR scandal, the Bengazi scandal and Obama's extrajudicial drone killing of US citizens.

Clearly crime pays these days as long as you're uh, in the "upper crust" (even relatively speaking)

[hawker9000]

This sends a clear incentive to criminals to come to Phuket to do crime.

Get caught here, and all you do is buy your way out of it.

Interesting times ahead for Phuket.

'Been that way for some time now. This is just a consistency check. Funny though, although I don't have any statistics one way or the other, my impression is that none of this stuff seems to deter Phuket tourism or injure the economy there in general; not in a big way anyway. I guess the silver lining is that the Thai mafia, other criminals (locals as well as foreigners perhaps to a marginally lesser extent), & scam artists, relatively free of police interference, tend to focus their activities more there rather than other (safer) places in Thailand (OK; before anyone starts, 'didn't say "safe"; 'said "safer"). Beats me why tourists keep going there, but up to them.

[gaucho]

a disgrace ....did the two innocent bystanders get recompensed ...?

[rosst]

No doubt they have been deported.

What ......... no mention of that - obviously their visas are up to date.

Amazing Thailand.

Yes, that would be the most appropriate remedy, send them elsewhere. perhaps Kerokaban I hear the weather is nice??

[deecee10]

I guess most of us have a pretty cynical view of the Thai legal/justice system and there are plenty of comments about it on this forum.

However the sub-plot here is about bikie gangs infiltrating Phuket and the whole organised crime issue.

Someones's going to need an awfully large can to keep all the worms in.

RIP Phuket.

[IrishIvan]

They probably would have got the same sentence back home with a good lawyer and a clean record

[Joe Mamma]

Makes me feel better about shooting any intruder or weapon wielding thug who accosts me. I am starting a baht reserve for such an emergency.

[lucjoker]

and.....what will the mafia (the Danes) do now ?

shoot the tatoo-guys in the knees ?

And claim they were aiming a bird in the sky?

Again a accident ! But no intended murder ......so no problemo ?

[jackspratt]

They probably would have got the same sentence back home with a good lawyer and a clean record

Uninformed nonsense.

[oldsailor35]

I know a person or 2 i'd like to get rid of. Sweet!

Why? tell us more !

[oldsailor35]

This sends a clear incentive to criminals to come to Phuket to do crime.

Get caught here, and all you do is buy your way out of it.

Interesting times ahead for Phuket.

'Been that way for some time now. This is just a consistency check. Funny though, although I don't have any statistics one way or the other, my impression is that none of this stuff seems to deter Phuket tourism or injure the economy there in general; not in a big way anyway. I guess the silver lining is that the Thai mafia, other criminals (locals as well as foreigners perhaps to a marginally lesser extent), & scam artists, relatively free of police interference, tend to focus their activities more there rather than other (safer) places in Thailand (OK; before anyone starts, 'didn't say "safe"; 'said "safer"). Beats me why tourists keep going there, but up to them.

Tourists keep going there from Australia because they can get cheap package deals all sponsored by big travel companies like Flight Centre. In most cases its cheaper to fly to Phuket with accommodation than to spend the same time on the Gold Coast.

[oldsailor35]

Surely it is now up to the Australian govt.' who issued them with passports. To own a passport is a privilege, and the holder is supposed to obey the laws. Now its up to the Australians to suspend or cancel these passports as they are being abused.

[Rorri]

I originally commented to Phuket Gazette that this story is at least 3 weeks old, they did not publish it, possibly because I suggested the editor, instead of editing my comments, he actually sourced current news, not resurrecting something so old.

Edited May 20, 2013 by Rorri

[Hunter88]

Should we assume that they where deported? Money buys privileges.

[transam]

I wonder what the German press will make of this very strange judicial decision.

[RigPig]

They bought the gun from the BIB....?

maybe, I believe all (legal)hand guns here are tested and the ballistics results kept on file in case of a crime.....except those owned by the police.

Who knows, doesn't look like farangs owning concealable fire arms is much of a deal though does it?

[Maggusoil]

I am out of the country at present, however doesn't anyone here have any way of questioning

this decision with a Minister? Or is that being completely over the top?

Nevertheless, I have to say attempts we have made to indict two judges in Australia, one starting

7 years ago, have met with a bureaucratic wall, as high as is necessary to stop us.

They even stoop so low as to losing all the files!

Same ole, same ole. It doesn't matter where you are, money breaths its own life.

This is completely off the wall . . . It should be run on whatever tourist forums it can be, otherwise

it will keep going on.

[Guest]

They serviced the 7500B fine as prison sentence as they had already spend the 40 days at the prison?

Maybe there is some legal technicality which says that foreigners who have sentenced to the prison will be deported from the country. But this would not apply to the prison time which have been served instead of paying the fine?

[NomadJoe]

They serviced the 7500B fine as prison sentence as they had already spend the 40 days at the prison?

Maybe there is some legal technicality which says that foreigners who have sentenced to the prison will be deported from the country. But this would not apply to the prison time which have been served instead of paying the fine?

Well according to immigration law, anyone having been sentenced for committing a "major crime" by a court in this country or any other is barred from entering the Kingdom. Of course everything in Thailand is at the "discretion of officials" which is one of the reasons why corruption is such a problem here.