Phuket Police turn down bribe, arrest Aussies

[blue]

PHUKET: Two Australian tourists were given a stern lecture and a second chance by Phuket police after the two allegedly tried to bribe police officers to drop theft charges against them.

The Aussies, named by police only as 21-year-old Maurice and 25-year-old John Jo Han, were arrested early this morning for shoplifting 10 sport jerseys from a shop on Bangla Road last night.

“Once we apprehended the men and they confessed to the theft, one of them offered us 140,000 baht in cash to forget the incident,” said Patong Police Inspector Sutthichai Tianpho.

“I told them to keep their money, and asked if they would be able to get away with bribing police in their own country.”

Lt Col Sutthichai charged the Aussies with theft, but chose not to charge them for attempted bribery.

“We did not add attempted bribery to their charges, as they are young and perhaps weren’t thinking clearly when they offered the money to us,” he said.

“We were sympathetic this time, as the crime they were arrested for wasn’t very serious. However, next time, we won’t be. Anyone who tries to bribe a police officer will have to face the consequences of their actions.”

The penalty for attempting to bribe an officer is up to five years in prison, a fine of up to 10,000 baht or both.

The Aussies were caught early this morning after a Bangla Road shop owner, who police declined to name, notified officers of a theft in her store.

“The shop owner said that the two men came in as normal customers, but left without paying for the jerseys,” said Col Sutthichai.

“We checked the shop’s CCTV footage and saw Maurice lifting the jerseys from the shop. He then handed one of the shirts to John and they both walked out.”

Police scoured the streets of Patong looking for the two men, but to no avail. Later, the shop owner spotted the Aussies walking on Patong’s beachfront road and notified police.

Officers were then able to track down the men at their hotel on Phra Metta Road.

“After we showed hotel staff a picture of the men, we were led to their room. We found the pair inside, and the shop owner identified them as the thieves,” Col Suttichai said.

“The stolen jerseys were lying on the bed.”

— Chutharat Plerin


Phuket Police turn down bribe, arrest Aussies

[Begbie]

Aussies just plumbing their roots.

[jamescollister]

Big blond beach bum Australians by the look of them, Vietnamese with OZ passports more likely, doing Australia proud.

[Hans Mann]

An umbrella. Didn't want to get tanned, or wet, or both.

[Mr Earl]

Muppets....There is a right way to tender a bribe and a wrong way.

[Simon43]

That's a pretty lame finger point. I want to see the anger in her face as she points and screams "Those are the bastards that knicked my fake shirts"

perhaps weren’t thinking clearly when they offered the money to us

==> pissed as farts when they stole the fake shirts - besides, they got confused over the exchange rate and meant 140 baht, not 140,000 baht.

[Pragmatic]

Why shoplift 2,000 Baht's worth of shirts when you have 140,000 Baht available in cash?

[Hans Mann]

Original sport shirts, I presume.

[luckyjim]

This all sounds a bit weird.

[the dogcatcher]

Are the police not feeling well?

[Seekingasylum]

Quite extraordinary that any policeman here would expect anyone to believe this utter nonsense. Just another instance of the Thai in their arrogance, born out of the practice of absolute power for over 70 years, being incapable of reading the western mind.

A clumsy, inept and implausible PR sticking plaster on a totally corrupted body politic.

[Neverna]

I reckon the 140,000 Baht was actually only an insulting 140 baht. No wonder the cops refused it.

[Nathan Napalm]

Why shoplift 2,000 Baht's worth of shirts when you have 140,000 Baht available in cash?

Why indeed.
Maybe the story is utter bullshit and a media ploy?

[harrybarracuda]

That's a pretty lame finger point. I want to see the anger in her face as she points and screams "Those are the bastards that knicked my fake shirts"

perhaps weren’t thinking clearly when they offered the money to us

==> pissed as farts when they stole the fake shirts - besides, they got confused over the exchange rate and meant 140 baht, not 140,000 baht.

Naaah. She's pissing herself and saying "These are the silly twats who are going to give me 10,000 baht tonight to drop the case. I can shut the shop, go and get pissed silly and lose the rest at cards".

[jamescollister]

Got to remember, been a bit of a C change since the new bosses took over, government guys here, my area, are afraid of phone calls being made.
Aunt got done last month, gambling, 1,500 fine, seems they were paying a local cop to look the other way.
Came out, cops done a runner, arresting cops military police.

[Simon43]

I can shut the shop, go and get pissed silly and lose the rest at cards".

Sounds like my ex, (well one of them anyway...)

[BaitongBoy]

shoplifting 10 sport jerseys from a shop on Bangla Road

Enough for everyone in the pic...

[thaimeme]

“Once we apprehended the men and they confessed to the theft, one of them offered us 140,000 baht in cash to forget the incident,” said Patong Police Inspector Sutthichai Tianpho.

“I told them to keep their money, and asked if they would be able to get away with bribing police in their own country.”

Hmm...perhaps.
It's an imperfect universe, ain't it?

[Evilbaz]

Hmmm - 140,000 VND (dong) offered?
= AUD$7.80

They are young enough to be Australian born - "ABVC."

[shaggersback]

Plenty of Vietnamese in cabramatta / Sydney.
They still keep chooks in the kitchen cupboards and create mountains of small fish bones in the rear of council flats.
Very Australian.

[Davis Knowlton]

Eight heroic cops pictured - for a couple of shirts. Wankers.

[ltnt]

^No choke holds used...however.

[panama hat]

Maybe the story is utter bullshit and a media ploy?

The tourism authority will later claim that it is an add . . . cleverly thought out

Eight heroic cops pictured - for a couple of shirts. Wankers.

You're being harsh here, there was only one finger-pointer

^No choke holds used...however.

Ouch!

[Pragmatic]

there was only one finger-pointer

He's making sure everyone knows which shirt's his after the photo shoot.

[Davis Knowlton]

[quote=OckerRocker;2913628]

You're being harsh here, there was only one finger-pointer



Didn't even count her......