Australian man gets dose of justice for repeated vitamin C theft

A pharmacy worker in Chon Buri province caught an Australian man attempting to steal vitamin C tablets yesterday and forced him to pay 10 times the original price of the stolen item.

The worker reported the theft to Nongprue Police Station at around 10am yesterday, September 23. Officers later arrived at the scene and found the shop worker and a group of locals detaining the Aussie thief, identified as 82 year old Bruce.

The Australian man appeared to be trembling and worried. The police then instructed him to take the stolen item out of his pocket. He complied by placing the vitamin C tablets on the cashier’s counter.

The worker told the police that this was not the first time the foreign man had stolen products from the pharmacy. He committed the crime twice before and was caught each time.

Police reviewed security camera footage, which showed Bruce entering the pharmacy. He went directly to the vitamin shelves and quickly grabbed a pack of vitamin C tablets before putting them into his trouser pocket.

The Aussie pretended to be interested in another product while waiting for a perfect chance to leave the store. Unfortunately for him, the worker noticed his actions and stopped him.

Bruce claimed that he had an issue with his eyes and planned to buy eye drops at the shop. The doctor also suggested he consume more vitamin C. He wanted to follow the doctor’s advice but did not have enough money, which led him to resort to theft.

Bruce was once again ordered to pay a fine, as per the pharmacy’s rules. He had to pay 10 times the original price of the stolen item. The vitamin C cost 380 baht, so he had to pay 3,800 baht.

Bruce was also required to pay fines for the two previous thefts, which amounted to 5,740 baht. The total amount Bruce paid to the pharmacy was 9,540 baht.