Brit couple who retired to Thailand facing jail despite CCTV proving THEY were attacked
A British couple who retired to Thailand have been found guilty of causing “superficial injuries and mental anguish” – even though they were the victims of a savage beating captured on CCTV.
Des and Mary Byrne now fear they are on the brink of being jailed, Mary’s brother told the Mirror.
The couple pursued their dream to retire to a tropical paradise in 2020 and saved enough money to build a villa on the “Thai Riviera”. However it became a nightmare when they became involved in a dispute over land access.
Mrs Byrne’s brother, Tim Maley, revealed they had been found guilty and is now desperately trying to find out more information from Thailand.
In December 2023 the Byrnes, from Middlesbrough, went out to investigate when they heard a commotion in their garden.
They say they found a couple, both in their 40s, super-fit and trained in Thai boxing, ripping up plants in their garden.
The Byrnes confronted them and ordered them to leave and were then set upon in a vicious assault by the man, believed to be from the UK, and his Thai partner.
Mr Byrne says he was knocked out cold and his assailant continued to rain blows down on him while he was on the floor. He was struck a total of 22 times.
Meanwhile the Thai woman reportedly battered Mrs Byrne, punching and kicking her until she fell into a flower bed where she appears to have been stamped on.
The Byrnes suffered horrifying injuries and the attack has left Mrs Byrne with reduced heart function, the couple say.
Their attackers were arrested and initially denied the charges in May last year, later reportedly changing their plea to guilty in August and ordered to pay compensation, say the Byrnes.
However, in a shocking turn of events, the pair say 15 police officers raided their home and they were arrested on counter charges of causing “superficial injuries and mental anguish”.
Retired chemical engineer Mr Byrne, 77, and retired nurse Mrs Byrne, 69, who retired only after working at the front line of the Covid pandemic, faced court today. They have been warned that the likely outcome is that they will be sent to prison.
They have ploughed every penny they own into trying to clear their names and have now sold their villa in the resort city of Hua
Before the hearing Mrs Byrne said: “All we want is to come home but we are trapped here, we are prisoners and no one seems able to help us. It’s like a living hell because it is clear to anyone we are the victims in this and somehow we’re going to be brought in front of a court. It’s a very frightening situation.”
Mr Byrne said: “The police were not interested after we were attacked. We tried to file a report but at first they didn’t accept our complaint.”
In July, last year, the Byrnes were summoned to court and told they were being prosecuted over the attack. Family at home have been campaigning ever since for intervention from the British Government, first appealing to David Cameron and then his Labour successor in the Foreign Office, David Lammy. But so far nothing has been done.
Mrs Byrne’s brother said: “They desperately need help and we’re appealing to David Lammy to urgently intervene.
“They have been the victims of an absolutely vicious assault and now they find themselves at the very real risk of being sent to jail over it. If nothing is done we are looking at a terrible miscarriage of justice against two good people who have done nothing wrong whatsoever but have seen their lives ruined. Their families just want them home, but this isn’t something we can achieve without significant help from the Government.”
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