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| Adam Pickles |
The mother of British teacher Adam Pickles who has been in a coma since being attacked in Pattaya in May 2012 has expressed frustration at the Thai legal system after a verdict on Sean Tinsley – the man accused of the attack was delayed a second time at Pattaya Provincial Court.
“I am angry really that this has gone on for so long. It’s had a real impact on the family, all the ups and downs. It’s a constant roller coaster. “ Adele Pickles told ‘BBC Look North’
The local MP for Alec Shelbrooke, the local MP for Elmet and Rothwell said that is up to the diplomatic process to tell Thailand of the interest in the case and that justice must be seen to be done and that “a just outcome is achieved.”
The latest delay is apparently due to papers being sent to the wrong court.
Sean Tinsley who has been on trial for attempted murder used to run the ‘Visa Shop’ in Pattaya and is understood to have had a close relationship with local police and immigration police.
Several of his clients were arrested and had to pay ‘heavy fines’ of 200,000 baht each after they bought visas off Tinsley in and around 2007. Passports were initially sent to Phuket for stamping.
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| Sean Tinsley |
Later Tinsley, from Wolverhampton allegedly switched his operations and started sending passports to the Thai Consul in Cardiff – a jovial Welshman – who seemed to stamp anything and everything.
These passports were then sent back to Pattaya. However the visas were useless as the holders of the passports did not contain entry stamps to Thailand, which is what finally authorises visas issued abroad.
When the holders started leaving the country they began being picked up at the airport by Immigration police. No cases were however brought against Tinsley.
Its alleged Tinsley went into a rage after Adam scraped his car. Tinsley has been on bail throughout the trial.
Adam was formerly Head of English at the International School of the Regents in Pattaya.
LINKS: Adam Pickles Fund-Raising Page His parents have had to remortgage their home to Pay for Adam’s medical bills. He is still in a coma but can say words and acknoweldge conversations.
This is not a country where the concept of justice delayed is justice denied prevails.
Honestly, there is no point in seeking redress here in Thailand, and particularly if one is British. The representation from the Foreign Office is essentially titular and of no earthly use to anyone in any practical sense. They may write some weedy little letter to the MFA but that's about as far as it will go.
Thailand is simply not a place where one would wish to find oneself in a crisis. Unless of course you happen to be connected to someone of real influence or exceedingly rich. The British gangsters in Thailand get more protection from the Thai than honest folk.
You're absolutely correct Gerry.
As I've said three times in as many days…….there is no justice for the innocent or the victim in country…and Thailand wants to be a "player" in work affairs….its comical…..
The Thai legal system has its problems but lengthy waits and administartive cock-ups are not reserved to Thai courts.
For instance the old practice of hearing a case one day a month until it was finished was excruciating and led to great injustice. Rama IV introduced Western practices and procedures and legal principles and the system still exhibits traits of what I term "19C Indian" legal practice. If you don't like it, there is very little you can do about it apart from find a way around the system as the Thais do.
As to the FCO……… your comments are well founded.
I rather think the practice of hearing a case one day a month was more of an imperative whereby a negotiated settlement could be prolonged to the satisfaction of all parties.
The sheer number of assassinations arising out of commercial disputes perhaps explains why most Thai have no time for what may pass as their legal system.
But still, no one is compelled to live here and if impartial adjudication is important then perhaps elsewhere is better. For casual visitors then it's simply bad luck if something terminal occurs. No point in hoping for something the Thai haven't had for centuries, is there?
This guy if guilty should get ten years for his cowardly assault. I don't know if he's been manipulating the case or offering incentives but it seems to have been dragging on a long time now.
In the past people who has a legal problem or beef with someone would go to their village headman who would call the people together to work out a solution, The police could be called into to oversee the negotiations and paid for their attendance and advice.
This is not too bad a system as it avoids the courts and long court cases. It only works if overseen by people of high morals and ethics whose decision is both respected and obeyed. Somewhere back it time it probably worked to a degree but now the police simply use their power as a tool for extortion.
This was similar to traditional Irish law where the British felt is was not punitive enough and people all too often went unpunished. Many traditional cultures have this 'council of elders' style of law.
Thais quite rightly try to avoid court at all costs. It's a long lengthy ordeal with 2 appeals available that can drag a case on for 10 years or more. The average person just hasn't got the funds or patience for that much litigation so seeks a way out that often requires the police to be paid off.
The wealthy abuse the system by using their financial mite to pervert the justice process. We've all seen this many times and the poorer person often feels violence is his only voice in seeking justice. They say violence is the language of the inarticulate and you seen this in Thailand all the time where a poor person kills his perceived tormentor.
The Thai police force desperately needs reform, it's rooted in a feudal patronage system like most of the Thai bureaucracy and works more like the mob than a police force. This has created divisions in Thailand. The Chinese dominated business class blame the Thais for the corruption saying they are lazy, inept and corrupt. The Thais say the Chinese will do anything for money and readily pay bribes and kickbacks to make sure their businesses legal and illegal continue to make money.
The Thais know they can't compete with the cunning Chinese in business, so figure it is better to take their cash and shut up. This is at the root of so many problems in Thailand. As I have said many times, feudal China didn't end with Mao, it just moved to places like Thailand where the warlords continue to rule.
"Thai legal system" – what's that?!