Thread: Ex-British soldier sentenced to 50 years in a Thai prison for drug charges

Found something about the Aussie at last, strange really as the poor coont got a much harsher sentence............

The aussies mate was adamant that Lance had grassed him up when I saw him although it states here he was caught with 60 pills.

Australian and Briton face decades in jail after losing Thai court appeal

Exclusive: Jake Mastroianni, from Victoria, will serve two life sentences, and Lance Whitmore, from Worcestershire, will serve 50 years, Thai court hears






Tuesday 6 September 2016 21.05 BST Last modified on Wednesday 7 September 2016 00.33 BST


An Australian and a Briton sentenced to decades in a Thai jail for drug dealing have lost an appeal to have their term reduced, their legal team has told the Guardian.
Jake Mastroianni, 26, a DJ from Melbourne in Victoria, will serve two life sentences and Lance Whitmore, 28, an ex-soldier from Bromsgrove in Worcestershire will serve 50 years. The pair appeared shackled together in Bangkok’s criminal court on Tuesday to hear their joint appeal had been rejected.

Lance Whitmore Jeffrey Stevens, a lawyer whose firm Thailand Bail works with both men, said he was disappointed by what he said was a severe sentence. “Everyone was hoping the sentence would be reduced further,” he said.
He said the pair had the option to take the case to the supreme court but did not plan to do so as further appeals would also delay them from applying to be transferred to prisons in the UK and Australia.
Under Thai law, Whitmore can begin that process in 23 months once he has served four years in prison, although it is not guaranteed to be successful. Mastroianni’s harsher sentence means he can apply to be transferred to Australia in six years’ time. However, because Whitmore pleaded guilty last year, his sentence is half as long as Matroianni’s.
“We’ve done every thing we can,” said Stevens. “At the end of the day, Lance did plead guilty. We were not fighting the fact that he was guilty.”
Working for a petroleum company, Whitmore was caught in August 2014 with 200 ecstasy pills in the beach town Pattaya, where his father lives. Mastroianni was caught with 61 pills, Stevens said.
Nathan Feeney, a legal consultant for Mastroianni, said his client would have received a much lighter sentence if he had pleaded guilty, similar to Whitmore, but his previous lawyers advised him not to.
The court ruled on Tuesday that the duo would not have to pay 3.3m baht (£71,000) in fines, Feeney said.
Klong Prem, the high-security prison where the pair are living, is notorious for its poor conditions.Small cells have a hole in the floor for human waste, and inmates sleep on the floor. It is referred to locally as the Bangkok Hilton.
Whitmore’s mother said last month she hoped the appeal would help her son. Debbie Caswell wrote on a Facebook page set up to raise money for the case she was “praying for good news”. She said: “It’s been 2 years now and I would love to wake up and not feel the pain and anxious feeling inside of me every day and try to keep myself sane for Lance who is my everything.”
A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was providing consular assistance to an Australian man imprisoned in Thailand but did not name him. “Due to our obligations under the Privacy Act we will not provide further detail on this matter,” the spokesperson said.
Asked about Lance Whitmore, a UK Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are continuing to provide assistance in this case, and will remain in contact with relevant authorities.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...i-court-appeal

What has "ex-British soldier" got to do with it? These sort of headlines irk me.
His crime is no more or no less because of his ex-military status. His sentence, no less excessive (or more).
But being Thailand, he will get an early release if he's a good boy in jail. Hope he likes rice.

Originally Posted by sabang

Hope he likes rice.

With his father having a bar in Pattaya he has someone outside who can supply him money - prisoners are allowed 300B a day - and with that he can order his own food and pay someone to do his washing etc.

Well, being a soldier boy he'll be a regular down the 50 baht LB bj cell.

prisoners are allowed 300B a day - and with that he can order his own food and pay someone to do his washing etc.

Foker living the Life of Reilly. Won't wanna leave.

Debbie Caswell wrote on a Facebook page set up to raise money for the case

Stupid bitch. Doesn't she know that if you want to inanely plead for money to bail your fuckwit children out of trouble, you're supposed to set up a GoFundMe page and gloss over the fact that you're shit parent?

The page is doing what it can here, wonder how long it'll last




https://www.facebook.com/groups/1413...48889/?fref=ts

Foker's living better than Clusterfluke.

27 baht an omlet's a bit steep

20 baht for a lay seems reasonable.

It's the 5b packet.

Open it up and there's half one inside.

Originally Posted by crackerjack101

20 baht for a lay seems reasonable.

It would cost more for a condom

Originally Posted by Kurgen

Originally Posted by crackerjack101

20 baht for a lay seems reasonable.

It would cost more for a condom

Hardly essential
Then again there is a ladyboy community in there, seen it on a doc

Originally Posted by Chittychangchang

An ex-British soldier has been jailed for 50 years in Thailand for drug dealing.

Lance Whitmore, 27, was arrested with an Australian friend in the beach resort Pattaya, where the pair were found to have 200 ecstasy pills on them.

He was told he would receive no parole on the heavy sentence, meaning he will be 77 years old when he is released from prison.

Heading back to Blighty.

British Lance Whitmore, former Pattaya local, sentenced to 50 years for drug charges in Thailand to be sent back to UK

A British man who was sentenced to 50 years in prison in Thailand for ecstasy possession is set to be transferred to the UK to serve the remainder of his sentence.


Lance Whitmore, originally from Bromsgrove, England, was 27 when he was sentenced to 50 years in jail after being caught with 200 ecstasy pills in Pattaya in 2014. He had been a Pattaya resident for several years prior to this incident.



But after serving more than four years in jail in Thailand, it is now understood that Lance will soon be transferred back to the UK to serve the remainder of his sentence.


Once Lance’s application for transfer is finalised, it will give the green light for him to be transferred back to the UK under the International Transfer of Prisoners Scheme.


However, Lance could still be required to serve up to 21 years in jail, although his legal team have indicated previously that he could be freed in less than 10 years, and could have only a few years left to serve in better conditions.


Jake Mastronianni remains in Thai Prison sentenced to two life sentences.

https://thepattayanews.com/2019/03/2...nt-back-to-uk/

^Good news. Cheers, Lu.

Originally Posted by kmart

Good news. Cheers, Lu

Why is it good news?

I met an Aussie in Suk 22 Bangkok one night who came to visit his mate Jake, whom that Lance apparently grassed up. He got 200 years he reckoned.

Originally Posted by Luigi

Heading back to Blighty.

British Lance Whitmore, former Pattaya local, sentenced to 50 years for drug charges in Thailand to be sent back to UK


A British man who was sentenced to 50 years in prison in Thailand for ecstasy possession is set to be transferred to the UK to serve the remainder of his sentence.


Lance Whitmore, originally from Bromsgrove, England, was 27 when he was sentenced to 50 years in jail after being caught with 200 ecstasy pills in Pattaya in 2014. He had been a Pattaya resident for several years prior to this incident.



But after serving more than four years in jail in Thailand, it is now understood that Lance will soon be transferred back to the UK to serve the remainder of his sentence.


Once Lance’s application for transfer is finalised, it will give the green light for him to be transferred back to the UK under the International Transfer of Prisoners Scheme.


However, Lance could still be required to serve up to 21 years in jail, although his legal team have indicated previously that he could be freed in less than 10 years, and could have only a few years left to serve in better conditions.


Jake Mastronianni remains in Thai Prison sentenced to two life sentences.

https://thepattayanews.com/2019/03/2...nt-back-to-uk/

Under the prisoner transfer agreement, I believe he serves his time as he would in Thailand. Sandra Gregory was put in a UK High Security prison and only got out early because they got her a Royal Pardon.

So he needs to keep writing nice letters to the Thai government saying what sterling efforts he's making to reintegrate himself into society.

^ Yeah, that was a real sore point with British prisoners in Thailand.

Other prisoners get sent home, and they are re-sentenced on their charges using their country's sentencing guidelines. Which is often less than the time they've served in a Thai clinky.

Not with the Brits, they don't get re-sentenced and their Thai sentence follows them home. So they often hang on for a Royal pardon rather than applying for a transfer.

The guy's a wanker...This is the guy i feel sorry for. Grassed up, found with no pills on him and because he went not guilty he had the book thrown at him....

According to the lawyer of Australian Jake Mastroiannai no drugs were found in his possession when he was arrested in 2014. The 26 year old DJ from Sydney was arrested in Pattaya along with Brit Lance Whitmore who handed fifty years in jail after pleading not guilty while Mastroiannai was given two life sentences.

On Wednesday in the appeal court, the judges upheld the sentence Mastroiannai, his family, friends and lawyers hoped would be reduced. Whitmore, who pleaded guilty to his charges saw no reduction in court to his fifty year sentence either.

Whitmore was found in possession of 200 ecstasy tablets during an undercover police sting. On arrest he led the police to the home of Mastroianni’s girlfriend where 61 more ecstasy pills were discovered. Mastroianni was subsequently charged. Mastroianni’s Bangkok based lawyer Nathan Freeney of a firm called Thailand Bali said that the Australian was unlucky because there was still doubt as to whether ecstasy tablets he was charged for possession of were actually his. He went on to say that due to poor legal advice on his arrest the two quantities of pills were combined for the indictment which lead to the Australian being charged with possession of 261 pills which carries a life sentence.

Australian DJ given 2 life sentences for drug dealing was not in possession of the drugs when arrested - Samui Times

Originally Posted by Dillinger

ecstasy pills

That's your drug of choice, isn't it Lu? You've mentioned it a few times. I've never even seen an E... we run in different social circles.

Originally Posted by Luigi

Not with the Brits, they don't get re-sentenced and their Thai sentence follows them home. So they often hang on for a Royal pardon rather than applying for a transfer.

Not the case here...

Originally Posted by Luigi

Once Lance’s application for transfer is finalised, it will give the green light for him to be transferred back to the UK under the International Transfer of Prisoners Scheme.


However, Lance could still be required to serve up to 21 years in jail, although his legal team have indicated previously that he could be freed in less than 10 years, and could have only a few years left to serve in better conditions.

Originally Posted by Maanaam

Not the case here...

Not if he gets a pardon by the King of Thailand, which usually happens around the 8-12 year mark.

If not, the 50 year sentence stands, in the UK this would become 25 years before parole, 4 years served = 21 years left to serve.


You're clueless about it all, right?

Originally Posted by Luigi

^ Yeah, that was a real sore point with British prisoners in Thailand.

Other prisoners get sent home, and they are re-sentenced on their charges using their country's sentencing guidelines. Which is often less than the time they've served in a Thai clinky.

These agreements are usually bilateral.

Can you name one of these "other prisoners" countries?

Pretty much every country in the World, but Australia and New Zealand, to just name two.

It's due to British domestic law, not any bilateral agreement.

British Domestic law provides that a transferring life sentence must have a tariff attached on return, but those on a determinate sentence can't have their sentences reexamined and must serve the full sentence that was handed down by the Thai courts.

They can however be paroled after a UK equivalent % of time served. So a 50 year Thai sentence can become say 25 years before parole, compared to almost every other country that will re-exam the sentence and re-sentence them within their own country's guidelines, which will often be less time that they have already served in Thailand.


This usually isn't much of an issue with Brits imprisoned in other countries, as many have similar sentences as the UK, it is only an issue with British prisoners in archaic legal systems such as this one.

Originally Posted by Luigi

Not if he gets a pardon by the King of Thailand, which usually happens around the 8-12 year mark.

If not, the 50 year sentence stands, in the UK this would become 25 years before parole, 4 years served = 21 years left to serve.


You're clueless about it all, right?

Just wondering why you think you know better than his legal team.

Oh...narcissism!