PHUKET – The investigating police officers were able to arrest the suspected British tourist, who used a firearm to assault another foreign tourist.
The incident took place on the evening of January 1, 2024, in front of the Oasis Spa in Kamala sub-district, Kathu district. According to Chanchai Petch-in, the tuk-tuk driver, he picked up two foreign male passengers from Jungceylon shopping mall in Patong to take them to Del Mar Cafe in Kamala.
When they reached the Kamala market area, one of the passengers asked to charge his cell phone at a guesthouse in Soi Paradise, Hua Kwan, Kamala sub-district, Kathu district, Phuket province. Chanchai then turned the tuk-tuk into the alley.
At this point he heard one of the passengers, a foreign tourist in his early 30s, of muscular build, aggressive demeanor and about 165 cm tall, speaking loudly. The tourist picked up a gun and repeatedly hit the head of his companion, another foreigner with dark skin, causing the magazine to fall out of the gun and land on the ground.
Chanchai parked the tuk-tuk, notified the police at Kamala station and asked for help. After the incident, the assailant fled into the Kamala Paradise alley.
On January 2, the investigating police officers at Kamala Station contacted the Phuket Immigration Police to cooperate in checking the residences of foreigners. During the search, they found a Thai woman claiming to be the homeowner, but no suspicious persons were present. However, they discovered blood stains on white shoes and the suspect’s passport in the room.
Following the investigation, the suspect was identified as a 38-year-old British national named Mr. Jamie, who had a Thai girlfriend and was staying at the Central Gear Hotel.
Mr. Jamie confessed that after the attack, he gathered his belongings and left the rented accommodation. He then hid in his girlfriend’s hotel and disposed of the gun on the roadside in the Wichit sub-district, Phuket.
At approximately 1:30 p.m., the British tourist led police to the location where he had disposed of the firearm. The police seized the gun and a box of 36 bullets as evidence. As a result, Mr. Jamie was charged with assault and carrying a firearm in public without just cause.
