French deputy mayor killed in bike smash

PATONG: A deputy mayor of the French ski resort of Chamonix died in a motorcycle accident in front of Phuket Simon Cabaret early yesterday morning. Pol Maj Pisit Cheanpeth of Kathu Police Station told the Gazette that at around 2.30 am, the man, whom he named as Jean-François Girod, aged about 38-40, crashed his rented motorbike into a culvert at the side of the road. When officers arrived at the scene, they found Mr Girod’s badly damaged body close to the canal. Police believe that he died instantly from a broken neck. “He was a frequent visitor to Phuket,” Maj Pisit added. “Each time he came he would rent a 250cc motorbike from Patong Big Bike.” Robert Cheybe, the French Consul in Phuket, confirmed that the victim was a deputy mayor of the town of Chamonix, in the French Alps. Maj Pisit quoted witnesses as saying that Mr Girod was driving too fast to make it round the curve and had crashed into the culvert on the side of the road, dying instantly. The body was taken to Thalang Hospital to await collection by Mr Girod’s relatives.