Thailand Jails British Teen For Life

[Trevor]

He'll be back home aged 31, if not before on prisoner exchange. Still has a life.

[meemiathai]

Nice report, filch.

[scorpihun]

The plonker got what he deserved, he is from my neck of the woods and so I have a little more background info on him, he and his family are complete plonkers.

However we all know that he will only do a short time ( no jokes please ) before he gets either a royal pardon or a transfer back home to blighty. Here he will be all over the tv and paper and become an instant celebrity, we may even see him with Ant and Dec, down in the jungle on that dreadful tv show with other celebrity no marks.

[taxexile]

lots of people like him.

he is a pillock. no sense at all.

he never had a life.

he certainly doesnt have one now.

he never will have a life. in jail or out of jail. he will only be a burden to others.

because he is a pillock... stupid,lazy,dishonest.

he is incapable of doing anything useful or enriching in this world. there are thousands like him. you see them on a daily basis slouching around on the streets of urban britain. sometimes you can only feel sorry for them. they are incapable of being helped and they are incapable of helping themselves.

it is truly sad and a terrible thing to say but people like him are just a waste of space.

he is probably better off behind bars. he can only harm himself there, the public are safe from his irresponsibility and that is what prison is all about. protecting the public. if you dont want to lose your freedom then stay within the law, its ever so simple.

[Lucky_Boy_Farang]

He'll be back home aged 31, if not before on prisoner exchange. Still has a life.

He'll be 33 when he gets out. Prisoners usually have to serve 8 years in Thailand then another 5 in the UK.

There isn't a chance of educating him in Thailand, He'll be out on the streets with no money, no where to live, no trade.

If he had that sentence in the UK, He could of got degrees, several trades and on release could of found a good paid job and look forward to the future. There isn't a future for him really anymore.

[britmaveric]

Might be a nice Labour Party Domestic Policy-send all of our Sad Muppets to Thailand on holiday and their bound to land themselves in lockup.

[meemiathai]

I personally think that people who are involved in child trafficking are far more dangerous in the society than this. But they are even allowed to be bailed out.

Strange world!

[taxexile]

There isn't a future for him really anymore.

there never was a future for him. he is a recidivist. he will always be in trouble.getting caught carrying (ONLY) 2 tesco face cream tubs full of drugs INTO thailand should tell you that he does not have the intelligence to know how to stay out of trouble.

like i said, he is better off inside.

[meemiathai]

Might be a nice Labour Party Domestic Policy-send all of our Sad Muppets to Thailand on holiday and their bound to land themselves in lockup.

You should be the next PM.

[valentinoxxx]

I was hoping the young lad would get 25 years not life. Surly the Thais must give sentences reflecting the quantity of drugs one has seized on them.

Michael had 3,200 ecstasy pills and that john fella who got caught with 9,000 'E' nearly three times as much will also get life.

And another thing, Is it really needed to have judges in Thailand? Why not get jo bloggs of the street and be judge and jury.

Young Michael will be spending his first night in BangKwang tonight. I'll be sending another £20 out today for abit of pocket money.

You see I show compassion. I  feel that everyone deserves a second chance.

And another thing, Terrorists fight against our UK troops in Afghanistan, get caught, get locked up in cuba and our government bend over backwards to bring them home and live off benefits. How about british prisoners abroad who are innocent? They are left to rot.

What's this?

You speak of compassion and then you speak of people who were kidnapped illegally, tortured for two years and then let go because of the lack of ANY incriminating evidence, as terrorists. Who was caught fighting against the UK/US troops?

Imagine this; America declares Thailand an evil regime, you go to Thailand because you have friends there(you traitor!) You are jailed by the Thais as a US/British spy. The US/British come along, you think you are going to be 'liberated' from Thai prison, but no, they torture you and take you to somewhere they think is beyond the law and torture you again. This goes on for two years. You are finally released because of the clamour of compassionate people. Terrorist?

Compare that with someone who smuggles thousands of MDMA pills to (someone else's country)Thailand for profit.

Oh, and I forgot to add, you are a Black Muslim with no criminal record and the other is a white uneducated 'scally' with a criminal record.

You appear sadly misguided to say the least.

Here, have a read, if you can; http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/sto...1168937,00.html

[GuestHouse]

Great news for the people of Manchester, one less piece of scum running around their streets.

[Lucky_Boy_Farang]

You speak of compassion and then you speak of people who were kidnapped illegally, tortured for two years and then let go because of the lack of ANY incriminating evidence, as terrorists. Who was caught fighting against the UK/US troops?

They had all been training in terrorist camps, One got shot and caught fighting us. They are scum and shouldn't be in the UK and claiming benefits.

Get your facts right belend before you say anything else.

[valentinoxxx]

You speak of compassion and then you speak of people who were kidnapped illegally, tortured for two years and then let go because of the lack of ANY incriminating evidence, as terrorists. Who was caught fighting against the UK/US troops?

They had all been training in terrorist camps, One got shot and caught fighting us. They are scum and shouldn't be in the UK and claiming benefits.

Get your facts right belend before you say anything else.

You are wrong.

An example; The first to be released was taken from an Afghan prison, jailed by the Taliban.

If he was training in a terrorist camp why was he jailed by the Taliban? Was it that because the Taliban did not like the 'terrorist' camps?

The sad thing here seems to be, is that you don't let the facts get in the way of your bigotry.

[Nam Kao]

He'll get offed in jail probably

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Yeah right.. how stupid.. wonder how the person feels that gave them to him in the first place and proberly paid the mug just his airfare... <_<

I'd bet he wouldn't give a toss.

[Miker]

He knew the risks, took them and lost. As with most countries of this region, Thailand makes it very plain to all who enter of the harsh penalties for drug smuggling.

Sorry Michael you got what you deserve. Enjoy the rest of your life in Amazing Thailand.

[taxexile]

stories like the following article are common in the uk and appear in the press with depressing regularity and tell me that people both using and selling drugs should be kept separate from those of us in society that choose to stay drug free. i would include those who resort to alcohol fuelled violence.

some people may enjoy the delights of getting high on whatever and may be able to control the usage especially with drugs like marijuana and alcohol. but with other substances its usually a downward spiral with negative consequences for both the users and those that come into contact with them. and these days such widespread usage means a lot of people get hurt.

I've lost my husband because naive probation service let drug thug remain free to kill

By Nick Britten

(Filed: 25/03/2004)

The widow of a policeman killed by a drug addict out of prison on licence hit out yesterday after a report highlighted a catalogue of failures by the probation service.

David Parfitt, 26, regularly breached his licence conditions, failed drugs tests and missed appointments after being released through the Government's home detention curfew scheme.

His probation officer was unaware of official guidelines that would have led to him being returned to prison and, a month after his licence was eventually revoked, he was still on the loose when he killed Pc Ged Walker as the officer tried to arrest him for stealing a car.

In an exclusive interview, Pc Walker's widow, Tracy, told The Daily Telegraph that the failings were "astonishing and heartbreaking".

She said: "Unfortunately I'm not surprised because the report confirms what I have suspected all along. If the probation service had done its job properly, Parfitt would have been back in prison and my husband would still be alive.

"They had numerous chances to recall him but because they didn't know the rules they didn't. If you are released early on the condition that you don't take drugs, and then you regularly fail drugs tests, what excuse do you need to revoke his licence? Now, because they didn't know what they were doing, I have lost a husband and my children have lost a father. I feel let down, angry, and surprised. Surprised that people can be so naive; angry that they just let him have chance after chance after chance.

"Being high on drugs is a major cause of crime yet it's deemed an acceptable excuse. The probation service was complacent and look where it's got them.

"The probation service has been defensive and slow to accept it did anything wrong."

Pc Walker, 42, a dog handler with the Nottinghamshire force, died in January 2003 when in pursuit of Parfitt, who had stolen a car. Having initially evaded police, Parfitt, a habitual criminal since the age of 14, forced his way into a woman's house in Bulwell, Nottingham, to call a taxi.

When it arrived, he jumped into the driver's seat as Pc Walker and his dog, Kai, gave chase. When Pc Walker tried to grab the keys through the open window, Parfitt sped off with the officer clinging on. Ignoring his pleas - at one stage Pc Walker begged him "Stop it, you'll kill me, stop it" - Parfitt accelerated to 30mph, dragging the officer and his dog 100 yards as he swerved to try to throw them off.

Eventually Pc Walker was flung into a concrete bollard, suffering severe head injuries. He died in hospital two days later. Kai survived and is living with Pc Walker's widow.

Parfitt was jailed for 12 years in December last year for manslaughter. Mrs Walker demanded an inquiry into Parfitt's treatment when she met Tony Blair to discuss her husband's death.

The report, written by Rod Morgan, HM Chief Inspector of Probation, and published today by the Home Office, highlights a number of failures that should have seen Parfitt returned to prison shortly after being released.

Having been jailed for two years in May 2002 for robbing two women in the street, he convinced the authorities that he had kicked his four-year heroin and cocaine addiction and was released four months later under curfew, subject to drug testing.

He was meant to have been tested twice a week for the first 13 weeks. Failure to attend on two occasions, or failing three consecutive tests or two non-consecutive tests within a six-week period constituted a breach of licence.

In the following two months Parfitt, who has more than 50 criminal convictions, missed seven appointments, and of 19 drugs tests he took, he failed 10. Once, he even rang to say that he could not make an appointment because he was too ill as a result of "heavy use of heroin", which was deemed acceptable by his probation officer.

Mr Morgan said in the first nine days after release Parfitt breached his licence twice.

The 92-page report said Parfitt's probation officer was extremely experienced but, despite receiving a national standards checklist, was unaware of the relevant supervision terms for licensees.

She applied her own drug test enforcement criteria, preferring to weigh his failed tests and continued drug-taking in the balance of his overall progress, rather than as a "mechanical enforcement trigger" for revocation of his licence.

A second probation officer said that because Parfitt was happy to "recognise the negative implications of his drug usage", and had said that he wanted to get off drugs, he saw no reason to report him.

Parfitt's licence was finally revoked on Dec 9, 2002, and the police were told he was wanted for arrest, but his period of curfew had ended a month before and no one knew where he was living.

Mr Morgan, who painted a picture of chaos within the Nottingham Probation Service, said staff were overworked - the office in question had eight members of staff to deal with 1,200 cases - and having to cope with a number of different Government initiatives, all of which had different regulations.

Parfitt's probation officer later described her workload as "unmanageable" and her situation "desperate".

Mr Morgan concluded that Parfitt should have had his licence revoked earlier and, had that happened, it would have been easier to arrest him because he would have been under curfew.

He also criticised Home Office ministers for their "inept" and "offensive" handling of Mrs Walker in the aftermath, when she was refused any information about Parfitt and received no contact from the authorities.

The report makes 10 procedural recommendations, which include greater training for probation staff and improved co-operation between intelligence agencies.

Nottingham Probation Service said it had already begun putting right some of the "defects" highlighted in the report.

Mrs Walker, who has two children, Matthew, 13, and Rebecca, 14, said: "What I don't understand and a lot of the public won't understand is why so much discretion was given to Parfitt.

"It's obvious he has to commit crime to buy drugs, so why do they let him carry on doing it? They were turning a blind eye to his drug-taking, but in doing so were accommodating law-breaking. It may be petty theft or low-level crime in the eyes of the politicians but it hurts those affected and, as we've seen, one thing leads to another.

"And you can't blame pressure of work. Whatever pressure you are under, rules are there to be adhered to. But it is clear there are too many of these initiatives and schemes and it's about time the Government got it sorted out.

"The probation service always hoped I'd disappear and accept it was all an accident. Well, I haven't and I owed it to Ged to get this report commissioned.

"It won't make a difference to me but if it stops one more person doing what Parfitt did then at least something good will have come out of all this."

The Home Office, which covers the probation service, and Nottinghamshire police declined to comment until the report is published today.

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[adjan jb]

I haven't contibuted much to this forum, but I feel compelled to reply to this one. Most of the people here obviously know very little about drugs, their history and their usage in all walks of society. Drugs have been an integral part of all humanity since the very bith of time, we would not be the most 'advanced species on the planet' if it wasn't for them. Some of the greatest thinkers of all time were all habitual drug users, IBM encouraged their developers to induce themselves with LSD before commencing work to name a recent incident. Anyway, I am one not to condone what is right or wrong. Thailand does indeed have it's own laws and I for one obey by them, as most others here do. But education here is surely the key to all of this. I understand concerned parents worrying about their children coming into contact with drugs, with sex, with the wrong kinds etc...but surely if you educate your children appropriately, and I am not talking about academic education, I am talking about the way you raise them. Then surely you have nothing to worry about. Drugs are not dangerous, nor are they harmful if used appropriately. Most of you drink tea, coffee, alcohol, smoke tobacco? If these were banned substances would you all shout 'kill 'em, hang 'em' if someone was caught smuggling tealeaves into Thailand when the Thai government had declared them illegal? Don't get me wrong, I am not advocating drug use, I am not saying drugs are ok. I agree, certain drugs can be dangerous when placed in the wrong hands. Education is the key.

The other thing that kind of gets me, is surely you can see the last 2 guys to be busted are certainly scapegoats. Thai weed, Ecstacy, Yaa Bah et al are all exceptional revenue generators. This kind of thing has been going on for years! Every now and again some poorly educated mule (preferably farang) is given up as an offering. Everyone is happy. The amounts these two were carrying were peanuts, not even into the millions. Drugs are ferried, shipped, flown around the world in the millions of dollars worth without hiccup or hitch. Does the government know about these? Of course they do, they are on the payroll.

As I have said, I do not wish to appear an advocate, I would simply like to stop these ridiculous comments that encourage trolling.

Look at the bigger picture people. Let's not focus on a couple of poor, uneducated, unfortunate fellows and start talking about the bigger issues.

Anyone for a few whiskeys, don't worry, I'll give you a lift home after, no problems!!

If what you have to say is as intelligent as this post, you should contribute much more.

[astral]

He must have been dobbed in by someone!!

In 20 years I have never had my baggage check by customs here in Thailand.

I wonder why they checked his?

PS I do not smuggle drugs, and have been checked at other airports.

[Bob Chittie]

The widow of a policeman killed by a drug addict out of prison on licence hit out yesterday after a report highlighted a catalogue of failures by the probation service.

What drug was he addicted too? Was he a crazed pot head out to kill? That's where so many of you are so wrong and so naive. All drugs are different and should be treated as such.

And all you who are happy to see a 19 year old do life, when you're putting down your 6th Chang of the night, remember that in many countries, you would find yourself in jail for abusing such a drug.

[george]

Life jailed briton has a mental age of 14

Michael Connell has a mental age of 14

BANGKOK: -- A BRITISH teenager who smuggled 3,400 Ecstasy pills into Thailand was jailed for life yesterday. Michael Connell, 19, saved himself from being executed by pleading guilty to drug trafficking.

But he looked shocked when a Bangkok judge gave him the maximum sentence under Thai law.

Connell, who has a mental age of 14, was led off to the city’s grim Khlong Prem Prison, known as the Bangkok Hilton. He must stay there for at least eight years, after which he can apply to be transferred to Britain.

Cops acting on a tip-off found pills in Connell’s bags at Bangkok airport.

His cabbie dad Derek, 48, of Bury, Greater Manchester, said the “devastated” family would fight the sentence.

--The Sun, UK 2004-03-25

[sabaijai]

He must have been dobbed in by someone!!

Most likely. That's how it works, with deals between law enforcement and the godfathers, so that 99% of the drugs get through and profits are taken at both ends. The mules are expendable pawns. Same in every country.

The politics of drug trafficking and drug use are way beyond simple statements like 'serves the scum right,' etc. Long-term studies suggest that draconian penalties only make the trade more lucrative and attractive to organised crime. But simpleton mentality about drugs is what the politicians count on to get elected so that they can help out their buddies in law enforcement. Nothing to do with ridding society of 'scum', the 'scum' are an important part of the whole structure. Without drug 'scum' and anti-drug simpletons you'd have no drug trade ...

[george]

I wonder if life sentence is the right medicine for a mentally handicapped person? What do you think?

[george]

Follow-up on his mental status:

Thais jail British drug smuggler, 19, for life

BANGKOK: An unemployed British teenager was jailed yesterday for life for smuggling 3,400 ecstasy pills into Thailand.

Michael Alan Connell, 19, from Bury, Greater Manchester, escaped the mandatory death sentence because he had cooperated with the authorities, court documents said. A life sentence in Thailand means a 99-year sentence.

His lawyer, Putri Kuvanonda, said he would appeal against the lengthy sentence immediately. "Michael is not a bright boy," he said. "He has had problems learning and reading all his life, so I think he was duped. There was no way he could have organised this."

Connell, who told the Guardian in January he was expelled from one special school and had no GCSEs, was arrested in November after an x-ray machine at Bangkok airport detected the pills in jars of moisturising cream in his luggage. The pills have an estimated street value in Bangkok of about £50,000.

"They were in my bag, so I guess I'm guilty," he said at an earlier hearing. "But I don't know how they got there."

If the appeal fails, Connell will have to wait at least eight years before being eligible for a transfer to a British prison under a prisoner exchange treaty.

He said he had been kept in an ant-infested cell, eight metres (26ft) square, with 40 other prisoners. He has had to wear leg chains. "There are thin quilts, but you're basically on the floor," he said. "There are masses of ants, but no cockroaches."

He wrote letters home, aided by a dictionary, but now rarely writes. "It's hard to write about nothing," he said. "That's what my life has become. A routine where nothing happens. It doesn't help that the library only has five books in English."

His father Derek said yesterday he was "absolutely devastated". He said: "We were told the 99 years would be reduced to 50 if he pleaded guilty and maybe to 25 because of his young age."

Mr Connell, who also lives in Bury, believes his son smuggled the drugs to pay off a small debt. "Michael is 19 but has the mental age of a 14-year-old.

"From what I can gather, he got into a bit of debt, probably just a few hundred pounds, and he was persuaded to smuggle the tablets to pay it off.

"He was naive and he has learning difficulties, so he was the perfect target for drug dealers who need someone to do their dirty work."

--The Guardian, UK 2004-03-25

[taxexile]

when you're putting down your 6th Chang of the night, remember that in many countries, you would find yourself in jail for abusing such a drug.

in which case, when in such countries, it would be prudent to stay within the law and not drink.

after reading that the lad has the mental capacity of a 14 year old, and if that statement is true,i would moderate my harsh criticisms of previous posts regarding his situation.

it sounds like he has been poorly served by parent(s)

"friends" and mentors in the past and has been taken advantage of.

as far as drug use goes i maintain that they are a menace and both users and sellers should be punished.

these days are not like the sixties when a minority of youngsters smoked weed and dropped acid whilst listening to hendrix or getting laid.for most people it was an enjoyable fashion,society didnt really suffer and only for a few did it became a problem, but the numbers were small.

these days the easy availability of a wide variety of powerful substances is just too out of hand, and the problems caused by the indiscriminate and widespread use of them really does start to undermine society and impinge on the rights of non-users (as victims of crime).

whether to bring in licensing and legalisation is another question.

but so long as they are outside the law i believe that the laws should be enforced.

the problem of what to do with mules remains and it may seem wrong when the mules get put away for life and the big guys still deal and connive with the police so that they can bag their quota and get good press.

as someone said in a previous post, education is the key. most mules know they are taking a big risk and they are motivated by greed and laziness and a lack of responsibility.

with the case in question, if he really does have clinical limited intelligence, then perhaps he should be treated in a lenient fashion.

maybe thaivisa members who feel sympathetic to his plight can arrange a book collection for him. i would certainly contribute.

[Up2U]

Smuggling E in Thailand is stupid. But there should be a whole different debate among us. You are simple minded if you believe that any substance the government classifies as an illegal drug is somehow evil and therefore deserves punishments like this. E is very different from heroine. Marijuana is very different from ya ba. Enlightened governments would recognize this (and some have).

As I previously posted, a couple of weeks ago, ECSTASY KILLS!!!

It is addictive, maybe not chemically as addictive as heroin, but it is still very bad news.

I do not smoke marijuana (or tobacco, for that matter) but I consider it to be far lower on the list of bad things than E. Please, let no-one make the mistake of thinking that this is only a Saturday-night pleasure enhancer, like having a couple of large scotches. It ain't.

This young man, admittedly (by his parents) somewhat simple, was bringing a lot of a very dangerous substance into LOS, whether on his own or under someone else's control, and deserves severe punishment.

But life here means life (or fifty years) and that is very severe.

[meemiathai]

Could anyone here please explain how bad and dangerous "ecstasies" are ?

And when comparing to alcohol, what difference does it make?

[megashox]

Connell told police during interrogation he was unaware that the jars he had bought at a department store in Manchester contained the pills and said they could have been switched during his stopover in Dubai, a court statement said.

What would a 19yo with the brain of a 14yo be planning to do in LOS with 2 jars of moisturizing cream?

[Sick Boy]

As I previously posted, a couple of weeks ago, ECSTASY KILLS!!!

So does alcohol, mate. And on a much wider scale. I think you will find that alcohol abuse kills many more bods than ecstacy does.

You're right when you say that dropping an 'E' is not the same as doing a couple of large scotches. The scotches are far more dangerous.

What a strange world we live in, eh?

[pschef]

Anyone who makes blanket generalizations based upon a cursory understanding of a subset of the facts is a maroon!

No generalizations from this member, I think you will find that was already in progress. Try reading the previous posts, I did say he wasnt too bright. apparently he isnt a terrorist either. Does this excuse his crime? what is a maroon some kind of dessert?