British expat’s £1.5 million Thai dream ends in jail nightmare
Retired engineer says corruption and dodgy deals destroyed his golden years abroad
What began as a dream retirement in Thailand for a British expat spiralled into a nightmare of prison cells, financial ruin, and heartbreak.
Martin Savage, a 65 year old retired engineer, says a bitter boundary row with a neighbour over a driveway ultimately cost him everything: his £1.5 million (around 67.5 million baht) property portfolio, his retirement fund, and his freedom.
“I have lost everything, I’m completely broke.”
Savage had moved to Thailand nearly two decades ago with his Thai-British wife, 66 year old Sudarat, after a successful career that saw him work on the Channel Tunnel. The couple invested heavily, buying a family home in Ubon Ratchathani and a 40-room apartment block in Pattaya. For years, the rental income funded their ideal lifestyle.
But in 2010, a dispute with a neighbour turned ugly. Savage said Sudarat, listed as sole owner due to Thai laws barring foreign land ownership, borrowed £34,000 from a moneylender. Instead of repayment, the lender allegedly flipped the couple’s apartment block, worth £1.2 million, for just £45,000.
“He was a predator; this was his business. In Thailand, all you have to do is pay somebody in the office a bit of money, and it happens.”
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The couple fought on in court. Then in 2017, they were arrested. Savage alleges police tricked them into signing bogus documents before jailing them for three months in Nong Plalai Prison.
“There was barely room to sleep on the concrete floor. I was 57 and suffering from asthma. It could have killed me.”
After their release, the couple discovered their Ubon home and three land plots had also been sold off under dubious circumstances. Court documents showed the same person had signed as both buyer and seller. Their legal battle to reclaim the assets failed.
Now, the once-prosperous couple survive on less than £100 a month from Savage’s pension and commission from Sudarat’s property brokering, The Daily Mail reported.
“We’re barely scraping by.”
Sudarat added, “I am so disappointed in our legal system. I used to have great faith, but I have been let down.”
The British Embassy confirmed it had supported Savage during his detention but declined to intervene further.
Savage warns fellow expats: “This should be a warning to others. Don’t think it can’t happen to you.”
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Left with only one choice buddy, that level of disrespect towards you an your family.. Only trying to live a good retired life, kill the thailand scammer an his family… An leave to a country with no extradition to Thailand…
Yeah, the saying “don’t invest an amount that you’re not comfortable with walking away from” is famous for a reason.
Keep ALL your finances in JUST your name, always rent, and live like you may need to leave tomorrow.
Frankly the story seems strange :(1) why need to borrow 25 k (2) why go to a moneylender vs a bank ? (3) which documents were signed to get the loan (4) was the loan repaid or intalments paid ?
The horrible history bagun when they have borrowed the money from the moneylender. But question is why they have to borrowed 34000£ if they had a good business in Pattaya from rental of 40 rooms in the building worth about 1.2mln £??