NONTHABURI — Mr. Phanumeth, a 67-year-old manager of a housing estate near Phibun Songkhram Road, Suan Yai Subdistrict, Mueang District, Nonthaburi Province, filed a complaint with Mueang Nonthaburi Police Station to press charges against a British man who punched him so hard that he fell to the ground.
The British man, named Matthew, has been living in the village with his Thai wife for several years. He is known among the security guards as a hot-headed person who frequently causes disturbances.
At 8:30 a.m. on May 31, Matthew angrily went to the security guard booth, demanding information about all the security guards without specifying the reason. Mr. Phanumeth walked over, intending to calm the Englishman down.
CCTV footage reveals the moment when the village manager approached Matthew and tapped him on the back. Matthew turned around and forcefully punched Mr. Phanumeth in the face, causing him to stagger and fall to the ground. The village security guards who witnessed the incident intervened and called the police.
Mr. Phanumeth said that while waiting for the police to arrive, his nose started bleeding, and he felt dizzy. He also revealed that before this incident, Matthew had barged into his office on April 5, complaining that his easy pass card didn’t work when he drove into the village, causing the barrier not to lift. Mr. Phanumeth tried to calm the foreigner down, fearing he might be assaulted, and explained that the easy pass card uses a battery, and if the battery is dead, the system won’t respond.
The foreigner then left the office, but due to his angry demeanor, Mr. Phanumeth went to file a report with the police as evidence in case of any safety concerns. The police then summoned Matthew for a warning. Since then, the Englishman’s behavior has become more aggressive, speeding in the village and regularly yelling at the security guards, until this latest incident occurred.
“After being physically assaulted, I’m terrified of this foreigner because I’m old and work alone in the office. If this aggressive resident barges in to yell at me or assault me again, I won’t be able to fight back,” he said.
The police will use Mr. Phanumeth’s medical examination results from the hospital to support their request for the court to issue a summons for the foreigner to acknowledge the charges.
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