Australian man caught stealing phone and football jerseys from Phuket mall
Residents call for stricter entry rules citing rise in foreign crime in Thailand
Police arrested an Australian man for allegedly stealing football jerseys and a mobile phone at a shopping mall in Phuket yesterday, November 2.
Officers from the Special Service Division responded to an immediate theft case while on patrol at the Central Phuket shopping mall. The owner of a mobile phone shop in the mall discovered a missing product and reviewed security camera footage, which revealed the foreign thief in action.
The shop owner promptly reported the incident to patrol officers, who made the arrest and the suspect was identified as an Australian national, though his name has not been released to the public.
Upon searching the suspect, officers found the stolen mobile phone along with three football jerseys. The Australian man reportedly admitted to stealing them and having previously committed a similar theft in the same mall. He confessed that he attempted to repeat the crime, hoping to escape again, but this time he failed.
The report did not specify the exact charges or punishment issued against the man. However, under Section 334 of the Criminal Law, theft carries a penalty of up to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to 60,000 baht.
Some netizens called on relevant officials to clarify the punishment, expressing concern that the foreign suspect might evade justice by paying his way out.
One commenter on the Newshawk Phuket Facebook page claimed that a foreign man had stolen from his shop two years ago. Despite reporting the case to the police and providing CCTV evidence, the suspect allegedly remained at large.
According to this commenter, the foreign thief had a Thai wife and still lives in Phuket. The man even returned to the same shop as if nothing had happened. The shop owner said he had wanted to show the footage to the man’s wife but chose not to, as he did not want to upset their children.
Other netizens used the case to criticise Thailand’s visa-free policy, urging the government to reconsider or cancel it. As in other incidents involving crimes by foreigners, many Thai social media users argued that the visa-free policy has led to an increase in foreign criminals entering the country.
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