Fugitive Thai man finally arrested after murdering British man in Pattaya 17 years ago

A Thai man on the run for 17 years after murdering a British man in Pattaya was finally arrested after a hospital checkup exposed his identity. Three other suspects involved in the crime were jailed, served their time and subsequently released.

The incident occurred in 2006 when 47 year old British tourist Stephen Parkinson encountered four Thai men while riding a motorcycle on the road near Marp Prachan Reservoir in Pattaya. As soon as Parkinson realised that the four had bad intentions, he speeded up to escape. However, the criminal gang shot him in the head and stole the money of 40,000 baht from the Hull-born Brit and fled the scene.

Following the murder, three out of the four suspects were apprehended and subsequently faced legal consequences. Initially, the court sentenced them to death but their penalties were later commuted to life imprisonment. Over time, all three suspects were released, leaving only one suspect remaining, 39 year old Prasetsak.

Prasetsak managed to evade capture for 17 years until he suffered a stroke and was half-paralysed. He was admitted to a hospital for further treatment where his appearance was reported to the police leading to the arrest yesterday.

Prasertsak denied the allegation claiming that he only went with his friends but was not involved in the murder. His mother also insisted on her son’s innocence saying Prasertsak’s drug-addicted friends spoiled him.

The Superintendent of the Crime Suppression Division 6, Pongpanot Chookaew, said…

“In this case, the victim is a foreigner. The case nearly expired, so the officers quickly operated an investigation to arrest the last suspect. We want to assure all victims that every culprit will finally be arrested and brought to justice, regardless of the length of time it takes.”

Recently, police in the Isaan province of Roi Et had just arrested a Thai man who brutally murdered his wife and escaped arrest for 16 years. He used a motorcycle helmet to beat his wife until she was dead and left her body on the roadside.

Another wanted murderer was arrested last year after he was on the run from the police for 11 years. He shot and killed his mother-in-law, physically assaulted his wife, and kidnapped his two year old daughter before leaving her in the middle of the road.