Paedophile suspect: 'Get me out of Thailand'
Canadian media are reporting this morning that the paedophile suspect caught last week in Nakhon Ratchasima might be feeling sorry for himself.
Christopher Paul Neil, being held in a Thai jail and charged with molesting young boys had one plea to his family this weekend, the CanWest News Service says in an exclusive story in several Canadian newspapers:
"Help me get out."
Neil was taped by Canadian TV when he was taken to court last Saturday and ordered held for an initial detention of 12 days for investigation. He reportedly made a plea to his family back home:
"Take care ... to make sure I get out of here. That's all - help me get out."
The chances of that seem right now to be extremely slim. It is far more likely that he will be formally charged and tried on several counts of forcing young boys to have sex with him, and be sentenced to up to 20 years in a Thai prison.
Neil's younger brother, Matthew, later told reporters outside his home in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, that his family will stand by the accused, the Canadian media is reporting.
Their mother is upset but "is not going to abandon him," Neil said. "It is her son, despite the allegations."
The brother also said his family would like to see his brother extradited back to Canada, which has an extradition treaty with Thailand.
A spokesman for the attorney-general's office said Saturday talk of extradition is premature, the Canadian news reports said.
Bangkok Post