Phuket Murder Hunt: Expat's Throat Slashed at Ritzy Phuket City Housing Estate

**nedwalk** · 06-08-2011, 03:30 PM

^i,m thinking the same as you mate, fucking wanker..right or wrong the bloke is dead, at least he put up a fight!!

**KAPPA** · 06-08-2011, 06:29 PM

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

The Lantern, ..''designed within the concept of zen . . . to represent the quest for tranquility and balance to improve life and enjoy surroundings to the fullest.''

How can it be tranquil when it's 30 meters from the busiest 4 lane highway on Phuket where a huge overladen black smogging huge truck goes by every 10 seconds

After 4 PM is it true you have to drive 4 or 5 kilometers to the north before you get a U turn to head south as the circle is shut off? The entire area is THE main drag into Phuket Town and congested from 6 AM to 10 PM.

**StrontiumDog** · 16-08-2011, 01:33 AM

Phuket NEWS: Phuket's Swedish murder suspects may not do 'hard' ti

Monday, August 15, 2011

Phuket's Swedish murder suspects may not do 'hard' time

Johan Sebastian Ljung confessed to stabbing Maksim Schantz in the neck, killing him, police said. Photo: Dean Noble

Tommy Viktor Söderlund also confessed to participating in the murder, police said. Photo: Dean Noble

PHUKET: The Swedish duo charged with the August 1 murder of Maksim Schantz would likely serve out their sentences in Sweden, a consular official told the Phuket Gazette.

Johan Sebastian Ljung, 25, and Tommy Viktor Söderlund, 26, confessed on August 2 to attacking and stabbing to death the Russian-born Swedish national Mr Schantz, police said.

The pair allegedly were angered that Mr Schantz informed police of a scam operation they had been running out of Pattaya.

Pär Kageby, Senior Consular Officer at the Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok, told the Gazette that based on a prisoner-transfer agreement between Sweden and Thailand, the suspects would have the opportunity to serve out their sentences in Sweden if convicted in a Thai court.

If they are convicted of the murder charges, they would have one month to appeal before sentencing, Mr Kageby said.

According to the agreement, the pair would be required to serve one-third, or no more than eight years, of their sentence before having the opportunity to apply to the Swedish government for a transfer.

If the Swedish government accepts the transfer request, it would then be forwarded to the Thai government for approval, Mr Kageby said.

“The nature of the crime, the convict’s behavior in prison and various other things are considered. If they are positive, [the Thai government] will say ‘Yes’ to the transfer,” he said.

“According to the agreement, it is the Thai sentence that will be served, but so far as I know with other cases, the sentences have been looked upon in ‘Swedish ways’,” Mr Kageby said.

In one high-profile case, Swedish national Karolina Johnsson, popularly known as “the Diplomat’s Daughter” due to her parents’ professions, was arrested in Bangkok in possession of five kilograms of heroin, Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported.

Ms Karolina, who wrote a book about her ordeal, was sentenced to serve 45 years in a Thai prison in 1994 before being transferred to Sweden after serving four years in Thailand “under an agreement she would serve the full sentence,” the report said.

She was released from Swedish prison in 2006 after serving a total of 12 years behind bars as the maximum Swedish sentence for heroin smuggling is 14 years, which is usually reduced, the newspaper reported.

Ljung and Soderlund are likely to remain in Phuket Prison at least until a verdict is reached, Mr Kageby said.

They are currently remanded on police request, which is up for review every 12 days. The next review is scheduled for tomorrow.

The police must file the case with the prosecutor within 84 days of charging the suspects, Mr Kageby said.

If they are convicted and sentenced, they will have the opportunity to apply to transfer to other prisons in Thailand, he added.

“We sent a consular officer to visit them last Monday and we normally try to go as soon as possible after someone has been arrested. We made sure they had a lawyer, which they had already arranged, and that everything was going as it should,” he said.

“We’re always happy with the cooperation with police,” Mr Kageby said.

**DJ Pat** · 16-08-2011, 07:16 AM

They were stupid enough to dump the weapon in the swimming pool?

Actually, I say that, but their prints wouldn't be on the knife..

**English Noodles** · 16-08-2011, 05:54 PM

Originally Posted by Anteak

It's such a shame that Thailand can not or will not run border checks so that known criminals are refused entry to the kingdom.

It's coming. They are going to introduce the policy of a police clearance form for all non immigrant visas.

**crippen** · 16-08-2011, 06:18 PM

^ Oh dear!

**Chairman Mao** · 16-08-2011, 07:12 PM

Let's take a look at some other murder sentences in Thailand where it was a farang murdering a farang.

Margaret Crane. Sentence for murdering a farang: 2 years.
William Thomas Douglas. Sentence for murdering a farang: 3 1/2 years. Deported after serving 2 years.

As with these two they only murdered another farang.

Thais don't want to waste their time on farangs who only murder other farangs.

**dirtydog** · 15-08-2012, 06:01 PM

Phuket Murder Hearing Postponed: Witnesses Fail to Appear

PHUKET: The trial of two Swedish men charged with killing a countryman on Phuket did not proceed today when two key witnesses and the prosecutor failed to attend the hearing at Phuket Provincial Court.

Maksim Schantz was stabbed in the throat and later died from the wound when the men, two of them former business partners, scuffled outside Shantz's luxurious rented apartment at The Lantern in Phuket City on August 1, 2011.

Tommy Viktor Suderlund and Johan Sebastian Ljung, both 27, fled the scene on a commandeered motorcycle but were arrested within 24 hours.

The pair gave evidence in court back in December and today a policeman and a doctor were scheduled to be interviewed. However, the two witnesses and Prosecutor Eaknara Lungsanam failed to appear.

The presiding judge was informed that Khun Eaknara had told court officials he was away on holiday, but the court had not heard from Police Lieutenant Nanon Pitakkulthorn or Dr Surapong Sorjalern, of Vachira Phuket Hospital, in Phuket City.

The hearing was postponed until November.

Today, outside Phuket Provincial Court, Yvonne Schantz, the mother of the dead man, said she was becoming concerned that she would never learn the truth about the killing of her son.

''I have tried to call the policeman and the doctor many times, but there has been no answer,'' she said. ''Why does nobody want to give evidence in my son's case?''

The two Swedes have pleaded not guilty to murder and insisted that killing Schantz was never their intention. They had come to Phuket from Pattaya to talk to Schantz, who allegedly stole a list of potential Swedish victims of a call centre scam being operated from Pattaya and owed Suderland three million baht.

As Schantz bled to death, the two men allegedly fled through a back fence, ordering a local resident to surrender his motorcycle. They were arrested the next day in Cherng Talay, in Phuket's north.

Mrs Schantz said today outside the court that the knife wound only penetrated three centimetres into the neck of her son, so she was anxious to learn whether his death was deliberate or an accident.

The two men face charges of conspiracy to murder; possession of a handgun and seven bullets with no permit; possession of a handgun in a public area; threatening use of as knife in a public area; theft of a motorcycle.

The pair appeared in court today in shackles and have been held in Phuket Provincial Prison since their arrest.

Phuket Murder Hearing Postponed: Witnesses Fail to Appear - Phuket Wan

**Bettyboo** · 15-08-2012, 06:10 PM

Standard practice, I mean why would the prosector bother turning up for a trial? - surely he/she has more important things to be getting on with...

**nidhogg** · 15-08-2012, 06:34 PM

Originally Posted by dirtydog

''I have tried to call the policeman and the doctor many times, but there has been no answer,'' she said. ''Why does nobody want to give evidence in my son's case?''

Easy, 5 letter answer to that I am afraid....

**Bettyboo** · 15-08-2012, 06:41 PM

^ does it begin with 'M'?

**nidhogg** · 15-08-2012, 06:42 PM

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

^ does it begin with 'M'?

Indeed. Being cautious as one of the involved is a lawyer...

**tomta** · 15-08-2012, 11:41 PM

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

Standard practice, I mean why would the prosector bother turning up for a trial? - surely he/she has more important things to be getting on with...

A bit harsh, BettyBoo. He had a holiday to attend to...

**pickel** · 16-08-2012, 09:41 AM

Originally Posted by nidhogg

Easy, 5 letter answer to that I am afraid....

And most likely 7 digits.

**dirtydog** · 16-08-2012, 09:53 PM

Mother of Phuket Swedish murder victim sues for B24.5mn as trial postponed

Phuket Gazette – Thursday, August 16, 2012 500 PM

Swedish nationals Johan Ljung and Tommy Soderlund are marched through the crime scene during the re-enactment last year. Photo: Dean Noble

Soderlund points at the motorbike the pair allegedly stole after stabbing Mr Schantz. Photo: Dean Noble

PHUKET: Swedish nationals Johan Sebastian Ljung and Tommy Viktor Soderlund, who have been charged with the stabbing murder of Maksim Schantz on August 1 last year, appeared at Phuket Provincial Court on Tuesday.

However, as multiple witnesses, necessary to the case, failed to present themselves at the court, the judge reconvened the trial for 9:30am on November 2.

Aeknara Luangsanam of the Public Prosecutor's Office told the Phuket Gazette yesterday that he would be applying for subpoenas to bring in the witness for the next trial date.

In addition to witnesses not presenting themselves at the court on Tuesday, the court date was postponed to allow Mr Schantz’s mother, Yvonne Raissa Schantz, 52, more time to prepare her civil court case against the accused, Mr Aeknara said.

“Mrs Schantz is suing the accused for 24.5 million baht for financial compensation due to the emotional duress she has suffered from the loss of her son,” Mr Aeknara told the Gazette.

After the adjournment until November was handed down, Ljung and Soderlund, were immediately returned to the Phuket Provincial Prison, where they are being held, until the trial concludes.

The court has charged them with premeditated murder, collaboration in robbery and carrying a knife and an unlicensed firearm with ammunition.

They have denied all charges.

However, Ljung and Soderlund on August 2 last year confessed to police that they had attacked and stabbed Russian-born, Swedish national Mr Schantz, but claimed they did not intend to kill him.

The pair were allegedly angered that Mr Schantz informed police of a scam operation they had been running out of Pattaya.

Per Kageby, Senior Consular Officer at the Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok, told the Gazette in August last year that based on a prisoner-transfer agreement between Sweden and Thailand, the suspects would have the opportunity to serve out their sentences in Sweden if convicted in a Thai court.

According to the agreement, the pair would be required to serve one-third, or no more than eight years, of their sentence before having the opportunity to apply to the Swedish government for a transfer.

If the Swedish government accepts the transfer request, it would then be forwarded to the Thai government for approval, Mr Kageby said.

The case was first heard in court October 31. However, it was postponed to allow Soderlund and Ljung to find their own legal representative instead of the defense counsel provided by the Thai government.

The next court date was set for April 21, but unable to secure a Swedish translator for the trial, it was postponed again.

Mr Aeknara explained that In that time both men had learned to speak and read Thai.

“How long the case takes to finish will depend on the court,” Prosecutor Aeknara said.

Phuket NEWS: Mother of Phuket Swedish murder victim sues for B24.5

**Mid** · 27-10-2012, 04:46 PM

Swedes to face Thai court over knife killing
27 Oct 12

Two Swedish men arrested in Phuket in Thailand in August 2011 for the killing of a 25-year-old man from the Gothenburg area are set to face court.

The two men, who were both aged 26-years-old at the time, face charges of conspiracy to murder and possession of a handgun without a permit, as well as a string of other lesser charges, according to the local Phuket News daily.

The two men have previously confessed to the killing of their compatriot, explaining that the attack was in revenge for a business relationship which had turned sour.

The men however deny murder, claiming that they did not intend to kill him, the newspaper reported.

The three men are reported to have been part of a call centre scam operating out of Pattaya.

The 25-year-old apparently fell out with the pair and reported the scam to Pattaya police and then moved to Phuket.

His former business partners tracked him to an apartment building in Koh Kaew and confronted him on the evening of August 1st 2011.

The victim is reported to have returned home at around 8pm and was attacked by the two men who tried to strangle him with a wire, according to local media reports.

The man was then stabbed in the neck and died soon after from his wounds.

thelocal.se

**petercallen** · 14-11-2012, 07:28 AM

Just some of the many criminals who come to Asia to scam expats because they cannot get away with it in there home country
Good riddance to bad rubbish

**trabant** · 20-02-2013, 08:57 AM

Swedes Opt for Guilty and Not Guilty Murder Pleas
By Chutima Sidasathian
Tuesday, February 19, 2013

PHUKET: Two Swedes charged with murder over a Phuket killing appeared in Phuket Provincial Court yesterday to stand trial - but entered different pleas.

1 Johan Sebastian Ljung
2 Swede Tommy Viktor Soderlund is pleading not guilty to murder

Johan Sebastian Ljung pleaded guilty but Tommy Viktor Soderlund denied murdering a third Swede, Maksim Schantz, at a five-star apartment block in Phuket City.

Ljung and Soderlund, both aged 27, rode to Phuket Provincial Court in shackles and in prison garb in the same truck with Aldhouse.

Ljung, who wielded the knife when he and Soderlund confronted Schantz on Phuket about a business deal that went wrong in Pattaya, has previously said he killed Schantz by mistake.

On August 1, 2011, the pair planned to handcuff Schantz then extract information from him. But when Schantz struggled, Ljung said at the reenactment, he went to grab Schantz by the shirt collar.

The knife in his hand pierced Schantz's throat and as Schantz bled to death, the two men commandeered a motorcycle at gunpoint to flee.

The pair were arrested soon after and have been in Phuket Prison since, awaiting yesterday's trial. Schantz's mother has lodged a plea for compensation for her son's death.

The two Swedes now have separate lawyers. Because the men have entered different pleas - Ljung pleading guilty and Soderlund pleading not guilty - they will also have separate trials.

Ljung is set to appear again in Phuket Provincial Court on March 25 and Soderlund will appear the following day.

**waradmiral** · 28-02-2013, 06:07 AM

Accidently stabbed him, yeah right. Fucking scumbags. 20 years in a Thai jail will fuck them up real good.

**chingching** · 09-08-2013, 04:49 PM

I’ll be freed’ says Phuket stabbing accused

PHUKET: Swede Tommy Viktor Söderlund, on trial for the stabbing murder of Russian-Swede Maxim Schantz in Koh Keaw two years ago, appeared in court today (August 9) for a hearing, declaring afterwards that he was confident he would be freed soon.

Tanyaluk Sakoot
Friday 9 August 2013, 02:40PM

Tommy Söderlund (right) and Johan Ljung, photographed after their arrest two years ago. TPN file photo

Söderlund and fellow Swede Johan Sebastian Ljung – both 26 at the time – were arrested for the killing in the chic housing complex, The Lantern, soon after it took place.

Söderlund has denied committing murder, alleging that it was Ljung who stuck the knife into Mr Schantz’s throat, severing the carotid artery.

Initially the two were to be tried together but the court later agreed that they should be tried separately.

Prosecutors, lacking a witness to the killing itself, are having a hard time showing who stabbed Mr Schantz. The only witness against the duo is the owner of a motorbike they stole after climbing a wall during their flight from the murder scene.

It is known that the two were involved with Mr Schantz in call centre scam operation in Pattaya, and that there was a falling-out. But it still has not been revealed why they followed him to Phuket and what they wanted from him.

After today’s hearing Söderlund told The Phuket News in excellent Thai, which he has learned in his two years behind bars, “The reason we came to Phuket had to do with information.” But he did not elaborate.

He added, “I did not do anything. I will be freed.” Was he confident about this? He nodded and replied emphatically, “Yes!”

The next hearing in his trial will be on August 29.

- See more at: ?I?ll be freed? says Phuket stabbing accused

**Rainfall** · 09-08-2013, 08:15 PM

Söderlund will testify against Ljung, methinks. The deal is that he will be set free, considering that he has spend two years in prison already.

“We charged them for working without permits, but nothing else because there are no laws against cheating people through phone calls like they did,” Maj Nackaphan said.

Interesting phrasing. There are provisions for fraud in Thai law, making it unnecessary to mention each single method.

**Bung** · 09-08-2013, 08:49 PM

How come they are not out on bail like most people accused of murder here are?

**Mid** · 25-01-2014, 12:26 PM

Swede Sentenced To Life For 2011 Phuket Murder
25 January 2014

Swedish man Johan Sebastian Ljung sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Russian-born Swede Maxim Schantz in 2011.

PHUKET – January 24,2014; He has 30 days to appeal the sentence.
He was also ordered to pay B12.5 million compensation to Mr Schantz’s family.

Ljung and fellow Swede Tommy Viktor Söderlund – both aged 26 when the murder took place in The Lantern apartment complex in Koh Kaew in August 2011 – faced charges of conspiracy to murder; possession of a handgun and seven bullets with no permit; possession of a handgun in a public area; threatening use of a knife in a public area; and theft of a motorcycle.

The duo denied all charges except for the threatening use of a knife in public.

The men earlier confessed to having a part in the death of Mr Schantz, 25, saying it was a came after a business partnership turned sour, though they claimed they did not intend to kill Mr Schantz.

The men were arrested at the Surin Sweet Hotel in Surin in 2011, where they had apparently gone into hiding after fatally stabbing Mr Schantz putside the apartment he had rented at The Lantern.

The three men had previously been part of a call centre scam operation in Pattaya.

In February 2011, Mr Schantz apparently fell out with the group and left, taking with him a list of all their “customers” and delivering it to Pattaya police. That led to the arrest of Söderlund, who was later released on bail.

After a quick search of Facebook, Söderlund and Ljung found that Mr Schantz had moved to Phuket, and decided to pay him a visit.

It took them three weeks to track him down, but they eventually found him living in The Lantern in Koh Kaew, and moved into a house opposite.

When Mr Schantz returned home late on August 1, 2011, the two men confronted him and tried to force him into their house.

Mr Schantz resisted, and in the ensuing struggle Mr Schantz was fatally stabbed in the jugular vein with a knife Ljung was holding to his throat.

“It was an accident,” Söderlund told police at the time.

The two then fled the scene, commandeering a motorbike to make their escape.

They initially checked into the Andaman Place Hotel in Thalang District, before moving to Surin Sweet Hotel, where they were arrested. A blood-stained T-shirt belonging to Ljung was found in their room.

Söderlund’s trial will conclude on March 8.

pattayadailynews.com

**prawnograph** · 04-03-2014, 08:02 AM

Swede's Death Sentence Commuted to Life for Phuket Murder
By Chutima Sidasathian

Monday, March 3, 2014
PHUKET: Swede Tommy Viktor Soderlund was sentenced to death for murder before a Phuket judge commuted the term to life imprisonment today.

The judge commuted the sentence because Soderlund had been responsive and cooperative in explaining what transpired in the case.

Soderlund was also sentenced to nine years in jail for theft of a motorcycle. He and Ljung stole the motorcycle at gunpoint as they fled the scene of Schantz's knifing in Phuket City.

**Bobcock** · 04-03-2014, 08:52 AM

Originally Posted by chingching

Swede Tommy Viktor Söderlund, on trial for the stabbing murder of Russian-Swede Maxim Schantz in Koh Keaw two years ago, appeared in court today (August 9) for a hearing, declaring afterwards that he was confident he would be freed soon.

Really???

Originally Posted by prawnograph

PHUKET: Swede Tommy Viktor Soderlund was sentenced to death for murder before a Phuket judge commuted the term to life imprisonment today.

ooops.... no not really!!

Thread: Phuket Murder Hunt: Expat's Throat Slashed at Ritzy Phuket City Housing Estate

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Mother of Phuket Swedish murder victim sues for B24.5mn as trial postponed

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