COURT DISMISSES TWO OTHER LIBEL CASES AGAINST BRITISH JOURNALIST –

Mangus’s Facebook picture

Pattaya Provincial Court today dismissed two further cases against British correspondent Andrew Drummond and concluded hearing a third case in a one day hearing.


A judge in the Provincial Court No 12 dismissed charges of libel brought under both the criminal law and Computer Data Act by Brian Goudie, 47, from Falkirk, accusing him of duplicating charges.

Goudie is a convicted fraudster. Under the name Brian Goldie he was jailed in Australia for six years for fraud.

Andrew Drummond had on Monday told the court that he believed the charges were invalid, referred to stories already published in Scottish and Australian papers which Goudie would not sue, and in any case said he did not believe Goudie would turn up to give evidence.

In Court No 6 Wanrapa Boonsu, 31, the common-law wife of  Drew Walter Noyes, publisher of the now defunct ‘Pattaya Times ‘newspaper, said she was libelled by Andrew Drummond on his website www.andrew-drummond.com by the publication of a photograph which showed her and her husband under the caption ‘Going to Jail’.

She said she saw it on Drummond’s website but could not recall seeing it anywhere else. Asked if she read the story accompanying it, she said she could not remember.

Phillip Venne, 67, an American and an employee of Ms Boonsu, said he too saw the photograph and came to the conclusion that the author was saying Ms Boonsu was going to jail. He could also not remember the story accompanying the photograph.

Pannida Aman another employee of One Stop Service Center in Pattaya also said she saw the picture and it said her boss was going to jail. Cash flows had been down, she said, since Drummond published the picture. She also did not read the story accompanying the photograph.

Taking the stand Andrew Drummond said he had covered SE Asia for over 25 years and covered  general foreign news, but specialised in foreign and transnational crime.

The picture he used he said had actually come from the Facebook page of a man calling himself Mangus Evans. It was the same name as a person who wrote a letter to the ‘Pattaya Times’ asking for legal advice describing him (Andrew Drummond) as a ‘wanker’.

Mangus Evans was described by the Pattaya Times as a local Scottish hotelier and Drew Noyes in his Ásk Drew Noyes’ advice column told him to ignore the utterings of Andrew Drummond as he was fleeing the country for Malaysia.

“Actually Mangus Evans does not exist,”said Drummond.  “But a Mangus Evans then opened up a Facebook page with that name and created this picture.  I am a journalist and merely reproduced the photograph to comment on it – just like Channel 3 journalists pick on the controversy of the day and comment on it.

“‘Wanrapa Boonsu and her husband Drew Noyes are facing trial for the extortion of the Thonglor Clinic, Jomtien and they are also together in the courts for allegedly defrauding a Dutchman out of 2.5 million baht.

“The picture shows Niels Colov, the boss of the Pattaya People under the caption ‘Been to Jail’. In fact that is true he has been to jail for pimping, coercion, handling stolen goods and vandalism.

“The fact that Noyes and Wanrapa of the Pattaya Times are pictured alongside him with the suggestion that they might be going to jail seems to have been made with humour.  It was a bit like a cartoon.

“In fact Drew Noyes had a US$75,000 judgment against him in the United States before he came to Thailand, a record of complaints of assaults on women, and he had been the subject of a major newspaper expose there which made further allegations of fraud.”

Drummond said the picture had been presented out of context. In preparing her case Wanrapa and her lawyers had deliberately not translated his full article which told in fact how Niels Colov and Drew Noyes were trying to close down the Mangus Evans Facebook page.

“I do not know Wanrapa Boonsu. I am not interested in her. I am interested in her husband. Drew Noyes has made an identical complaint about this article which has been dismissed already by this court.”

“I did not write that she was going to jail. I do not know if she is going to jail. In my article I make it quite clear that she is still going through the justice system.”

Under cross examination asked by the plaintiff’s lawyer how many cases of libel were being brought against him Drummond replied: “So far all have been dismissed.  One more or maybe two. But they are by Noyes or his associates so I am not concerned.  I have been a journalist for 40 years and never been successfully sued.  The only problems I seem to get seem to be from foreign businessmen in Pattaya.”

The case was adjourned for judgment until October 17.

COMMENT:


For years Drew Noyes has been operating in Pattaya dodgy businesses aimed at fleecing foreigners. His bills are outrageous and his ability is limited. 


He claims to be a journalist. He never has been. His Pattaya Times newspaper has gone down the pan and all he is left with is a website which he tried bitterly to fill every night with anti-Andrew Drummond stories.

He used to claim to be a lawyer, until we forced him to pull down that advertising. Now he claims he is an expert in Thai law. Foreigners will walk out of legal firms in Thailand if the lawyer does not speak English. That is understandable. Noyes is there to scoop these people up. That has had disastrous results.  People have been ruined.  

Drummond ups security. Skippy le Chihuahua a regular poster was on hand at the court as security

When his customers complain vociferously, he, like others, take advantage of Thailand’s poorly constructed libel laws and threatens to sue them. So far all people threatened to far have fled.


If a lawyer in say the U.K presented such a case at the Old Bailey deliberately deleting sections of an article I wrote accompanying the photograph which demonstrated  why I published it and stated categorically that Boonsu and Noyes were still going through the judicial process, he would never work again 

Lawyers for Drew Noyes and Wanrapa Boonsu are even trying to fool the courts.


In the U.K. of course by now I would have been awarded large amounts in costs. Here I have to embark on cases to get my cash back. Thankfully due to supporters here I am continuing to win. But Noyes knows he cannot. He hopes I break in the process. I won’t. Interestingly he was at court to watch his witnesses but left before I gave evidence.