BANGKOK – A British man, who had been wanted in Phuket province since the middle of last year, was arrested by officers from the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok on May 9 at a condominium near Wat Phraya Krai, Charoen Krung Road, Wat Phraya Krai Subdistrict, Bang Kho Laem District, Bangkok.
Alexander, 21, was arrested on a warrant issued by the Phuket Provincial Court on August 23, 2023, on charges of “importing false information into a computer system in a manner likely to cause damage to the public.”
The investigation revealed that in mid-2022, Alexander, who was staying at an apartment in Phuket, had a dispute with the owner of an Italian restaurant over access to the accommodation.
Even though the restaurant allowed more convenient access to the apartment, it incurred the cost of opening the route and reserving it exclusively for clients who used their services. The restaurant advised that Alexander refrain from taking this route, which greatly upset him.
Later, the restaurant discovered that its customer review scores on Google had dropped dramatically from 4.9 out of 5 to just 3.1. According to investigation, they found that the restaurant had received one-star reviews in a short period, with the reviewer being Alexander, who used false and distorted statements to maliciously damage the restaurant. Additionally, his associates also left similar reviews.
The restaurant owner then filed a complaint at Sakhu Police Station in Phuket. The investigating officers gathered evidence and requested an arrest warrant from the court. However, Alexander quickly fled from Phuket to Bangkok, where he was recently apprehended.
He currently denied the charges, and the authorities have sent him to face prosecution at Sakhu Police Station in Phuket.
