British man arrested for illegal beauty clinic, causing facial paralysis

Koh Pha Ngan Tourist Police in the southern province of Surat Thani raided an illegal beauty clinic and arrested its British owner today after a foreign client received services at the clinic and suffered facial paralysis.

The foreign client, whose identity was not disclosed, experienced swelling and red bruises and was unable to control her facial muscles after receiving a Botox injection at the beauty clinic. She then sought treatment at a hospital on the island and later filed a complaint with the police.

Officers interviewed the foreign victim and raided the clinic this morning, September 3. The illegal beauty clinic was operated in a white house rented by a 42 year old Englishman named Tomas.

According to Daily News, there was no sign or advertisement about the clinic at the front of the house. There was only a note for a delivery worker stating, “Delivery to Tom Foley, Jessica Piff, 6 Moo 5 Koh Phangan.” The media did not clarify the identities of Tom Foley and Jessica Piff.

Tomas was present at the house and led officers in inspecting the premises. Some of the rooms were converted into a clinic, while others were used for storage and as living quarters for Tomas.

The British man admitted to renting the house for 29,000 baht per month to operate the beauty clinic without a permit for the past five months. He mainly offered Botox and filler injections to clients. Some clients came to the house for the service, while others requested him to provide the service at their homes.

Chinese products

Tomas explained that he asked his clients to book services by contacting the account “Botox Koh Phangan” via the WhatsApp application. The injections were priced between 800 and 1,000 baht.

The Botox and fillers he used on clients were ordered from China via the Alibaba shopping app, with some supplies also sourced within Thailand. More than 1,000 pieces of medication and equipment were confiscated.

Tomas faces five charges, including:

• Sections 16 and 57 of the Hospital Act: operating a healthcare centre without a licence. The penalty is imprisonment of up to five years, a fine of up to 100,000 baht, or both.
• Section 12 of the Drug Act: selling drugs without permission. The penalty is imprisonment of up to five years and a fine of up to 10,000 baht.
• Section 72(4) of the Drug Act: selling unregistered medicines. The penalty is imprisonment of up to three years, a fine of up to 5,000 baht, or both.
• Section 246 of the Customs Act: hiding, distributing, taking away, or buying an untaxed product. The penalty is imprisonment of up to five years, a fine of four times the product’s value, or both.
• Sections 8 and 101 of the Emergency Decree on Managing Foreign Workers: working without a work permit. The penalty is a fine of 5,000 to 50,000 baht, deportation, and a ban on applying for a two-year work permit.

The Commissioner of the Tourist Police, Saksira Phueak-aum, emphasised to tourist police officers in nearby provinces the need to investigate illegal activities involving foreigners in the area.

Photo via DailyNews