Mum on the run in Asia TikToker jailed after return to UK from Thailand
A British TikToker known online as “Mum on the run in Asia” was sentenced to 26 months in prison for drug offences after returning to the UK from Thailand.
The TikTok user, Ellis Matthews, left the UK in 2021 and travelled to Thailand while pregnant. She later attracted attention online for a controversial video posted last year on her TikTok account @mumontheruninasia.
In the video, Matthews claimed she was receiving £2,300 a month in UK benefits and shared tips on how others could obtain the payments while living abroad. She also said the money allowed her to live a luxurious lifestyle in Thailand, prompting criticism from some UK social media users who alleged the benefits were being misused.
Following the backlash, Matthews reportedly apologised and later said the claims were fabricated for views. She said she was not receiving benefits because she was living outside the UK.
Matthews later made headlines again after posting a video showing herself and her child being detained in Thailand for overstaying her visa.
The Lancashire Evening Post reported she was detained for 15 weeks before being deported. The report also said her child remained with a family in Thailand.
After returning to the UK, Matthews was arrested over alleged drug offences. She was charged with supplying and possessing cocaine and cannabis. Matthews appeared at Preston Crown Court on March 13, where she was sentenced to 26 months in prison.
She was escorted to HMP Styal to serve the sentence. Reports said 108 days will be deducted from her jail term to account for time she spent in detention in Thailand before her return to the UK.
In related reports involving British nationals, a British man was arrested in Bangkok on March 6 for supplying cocaine to tourists in the Sukhumvit area. Police said they found more than 400 grammes of cocaine and two grammes of ecstasy in his possession.
Earlier this month, four British nationals were also arrested after forcing entry into the home of a British man in Pattaya and stealing a safe containing 2 million baht in cash.
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