British and Irish riders arrested in Phuket after viral wheelie video
Police arrested an Irish and a British motorcyclist after they were filmed performing wheelies on a public road in Phuket on March 25.
The Facebook page โหดจัง จังหวัดภูเก็ต posted a video showing a foreign man in a blue shirt riding along Chao Fah Tawan Tok Road in Chalong subdistrict. The post included the caption: “Do you think that this is a race track? Don’t know what to say. This is dangerous for other motorists!”
In the footage, the rider lifts the front wheel while travelling in the left lane before cutting in front of a garbage truck and raising the wheel again.
The video prompted officers from Chalong Police Station to investigate. Police said the traffic violation took place at about 10.27am on March 25.
After reviewing additional CCTV footage, officers identified a second foreign rider who carried out the same act. Police said he was travelling with his girlfriend and performing wheelies alongside the first rider seen in the viral clip.
Police later identified the riders as British national Harry Edward Hall and Irish national Brian Anthony Murphy. They were arrested about three hours after the video spread on Thai social media.
Officers confiscated two motorcycles: a red-and-blue Honda CRF 450R registered in Buriram and a Yamaha MT-07 registered in Bangkok.
Police said neither man held a Thai driving licence or an international driving permit. Under Section 64 of the car act, they face up to two years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to 40,000 baht, or both.
Their riding was also treated as dangerous driving under the Land Transport Act, which carries a penalty of up to three months’ imprisonment, a fine of 2,000 to 10,000 baht, or both.
In a previous case in April last year, an Australian man was sentenced to 15 days in prison for performing a wheelie on a Phuket road.
In another incident, a foreign motorcyclist was injured after attempting a wheelie to impress a woman before crashing into a pharmacy in Phuket.
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