3 British men arrested for car crash and stabbing attempt in Phuket
Thai police this week arrested three British men involved in a car crash and a stabbing attempt that occurred outside Patong Hospital in Phuket.
Yesterday, March 13, a Thai motorcyclist took to social media to seek assistance from netizens in locating the foreign pickup driver who collided with him on Wednesday and attempted to stab him before fleeing the scene. The foreigner was reported to be driving a white Ford Raptor pickup with the registration plate กฉ 1.
Officers from Patong Police Station subsequently tracked down the foreign driver and two other foreign passengers yesterday. The three men, identified as British nationals, all aged 26, have not had their names released to the public.
Police reported that the men face two charges including:
- Section 390 of the Criminal Law: Driving recklessly, leads to injury to another person and damage to another person’s property. The penalty is imprisonment for up to one month, a fine of up to 10,000 baht, or both.
- Section 371 of the Criminal Law: Carrying a weapon in a public place without a valid reason. The penalty is a fine of up to 100 baht, and the weapon will be confiscated.
Thai netizens expressed dissatisfaction with the police operation, losing faith in the effectiveness of the legal punishment. They accused the police of imposing lenient penalties on foreigners exhibiting bad behaviour, merely fining them and releasing them to potentially repeat their criminal acts.
Netizens called on the officers to revoke the foreigners’ driving licences and impose severe penalties, such as deportation and entry bans.
In another recent incident, two Nigerian nationals recently faced condemnation from both Phuket locals and Thai netizens after drifting their sedan in the middle of multiple intersections on Phuket roads. The pair attempted to evade arrest by fleeing into a nearby forest but were ultimately apprehended.
Several hit-and-run incidents involving foreign motorists have made headlines in recent months.
In February, a Thai motorcyclist used social media to appeal for assistance in identifying a foreign motorcyclist who allegedly drove at high speed and collided with him while he was preparing to make a turn.
In January, a foreign driver crashed his sedan into a motorcycle on Thep Krasattri Road in Phuket before fleeing the scene. A witness, however, managed to intercept the driver, leading to his arrest.
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