Aussie jailed for bar mat theft

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Update: Phuket tourist jailing

PHUKET / MELBOURNE (AAP): The Australian woman arrested in Phuket,
Thailand for allegedly stealing a bar mat says she's "scared, helpless
and alone" and is pleading for the Australian government to intervene.

Annice Smoel, who spent four days in a cramped Thai jail with three
other women, described her holiday gone wrong as "totally
unbelievable".

Ms Smoel, 36, from Montrose in Melbourne's east, faces five years in
jail, but insists she's done nothing wrong.

During a telephone link-up from Phuket with reporters, she broke down
saying she just wanted to get home to her four young daughters aged 6,
8, 11 and 12.

"They are terrified and scared. I've already missed so much, I really
want to be a good mum," she said.

Asked how she felt, she said "just scared, helpless, alone".

In the 14 days since her arrest for taking the bar mat from the Aussie
Bar in Phuket where she was celebrating her mother's 60th birthday,
she has missed one daughter's birthday, another's appendix operation
and Mother's Day.

In a plea to the government, she said: "You've got to help me, I have
not done anything wrong, this is a crock."

Her husband Darren has flown back to Phuket to be by his wife's side.

"This is a complete joke - the Thai authorities have no compassion and
no respect for Western women or the wrongly accused, it's just a
joke," he said.

Despite Prime Minister Kevin Rudd saying that all available consular
assistance is being provided, Mr Smoel says the action of the
Australian government and consulate authorities had been "nowhere near
good enough".

The family had even tried offering money to Thai authorities but that
was refused.

The owner of the Aussie Bar, Steve Wood, told Fairfax Radio Network
that he believed Ms Smoel had been abusive toward the undercover
police who had stopped her in the bar.

"When they talked to her all they wanted to do was chastise her, and
they usually let you go, but she did a runner on them... the police
had to chase her down the beach," Mr Wood said.

"When they took her back to the police station, she continued to abuse
everyone at the police station including the chief of police and I
think this is what the problem is.

"It's more of an attitude problem than a crime problem."

Local newspaper Phuket Gazette reporters are with Steve Wood at the
Aussie Bar as this report is filed. More details on the case will be
reported in the Gazette Online this evening.

Ms Smoel has been charged with "night-time theft" and imprisoned for
four days. Thailand makes a distinction between daytime and nighttime
thefts, with the latter seen as more serious under Thai law.

Bar Owner Mr Wood has not pressed charges.

Ms Smoel insisted she was innocent of the theft which was committed by
a friend, as a prank. She confessed to the police but was told to go
away.

"I have been treated unfairly and held here for something I didn't
do," she told Fairfax News Radio.

"They know I didn't do it; they have video evidence and one of the
girls who was involved went down to the police on Sunday morning and
confessed to the crime and apologised – and they told her to go away.
They didn't care."

Police confiscated Ms Smoel's passport.

Ms Smoel is required to report to local authorities in Phuket every
two weeks as a condition of bail and it is expected to be 14 weeks
before her case is heard in court.

Her lawyer Bernard Murphy says she has been told she could face two to
five years in jail if found guilty of "night-time theft."

– By Katie Bradford for APP Australia

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Send Letter to Gazette Editor
Phuket, Thailand
15:06 local time (GMT +7)

another farang tourist hounded for next to nothing reason . they love
harming tourism in this 3rd world country .bunch of pathetic little
****s

they should try clamping down on the Faggot muggers on beach
road ,and the fuarking murderous katoeys

Apparently this is the problem:

"When they talked to her all they wanted to do was chastise her, and
they usually let you go, but she did a runner on them... the police
had to chase her down the beach," Mr Wood said.

"When they took her back to the police station, she continued to abuse
everyone at the police station including the chief of police and I
think this is what the problem is.

Seems this lady is not smart enough to treat local officers with
respect.
--

Alfred Molon
http://www.molon.de - Photos of Asia, Africa and Europe

"Alfred Molon" wrote in message
...
Apparently this is the problem:

"When they talked to her all they wanted to do was chastise her, and
they usually let you go, but she did a runner on them... the police
had to chase her down the beach," Mr Wood said.

"When they took her back to the police station, she continued to abuse
everyone at the police station including the chief of police and I
think this is what the problem is.

Seems this lady is not smart enough to treat local officers with
respect.
--

Alfred Molon
http://www.molon.de - Photos of Asia, Africa and Europe

Alfred

You should know that ALL Australian tourists caught for a crime overseas are
innocent.

Reasons:
They are Australian
They say so
All the do-gooders say so

Hence the Australian government should free them before the case is heard
because:
They are innocent
The Australian government is there to intervene in the process of justice
anywhere in the world
Australians pay their taxes to the government as insurance for this sort of
thing


Gerrit - Oz

Alfred Molon wrote:
Apparently this is the problem:

"When they talked to her all they wanted to do was chastise her, and
they usually let you go, but she did a runner on them... the police
had to chase her down the beach," Mr Wood said.

"When they took her back to the police station, she continued to
abuse everyone at the police station including the chief of police
and I think this is what the problem is.

Seems this lady is not smart enough to treat local officers with
respect.

or to be intelligent enough to know what the intelligent attitude would be..
just smile apologize and go

Ah - you've obviously read today's Daily Telegraph (Sydney).

"Gerrit" wrote in message
...

"Alfred Molon" wrote in message
...
Apparently this is the problem:

"When they talked to her all they wanted to do was chastise her, and
they usually let you go, but she did a runner on them... the police
had to chase her down the beach," Mr Wood said.

"When they took her back to the police station, she continued to abuse
everyone at the police station including the chief of police and I
think this is what the problem is.

Seems this lady is not smart enough to treat local officers with
respect.
--

Alfred Molon
http://www.molon.de - Photos of Asia, Africa and Europe

Alfred

You should know that ALL Australian tourists caught for a crime overseas
are innocent.

Reasons:
They are Australian
They say so
All the do-gooders say so

Hence the Australian government should free them before the case is heard
because:
They are innocent
The Australian government is there to intervene in the process of justice
anywhere in the world
Australians pay their taxes to the government as insurance for this sort
of thing


Gerrit - Oz

"Viviane" wrote in message
. au...
Ah - you've obviously read today's Daily Telegraph (Sydney).


I live in Albany WA and have never even seen the Daily Telegraph so any
similarity is purely coincidental.
I will look up their website (if they have one that is) to see what they
said.

Gerrit

Alfred Molon wrote:
Apparently this is the problem:

"When they talked to her all they wanted to do was chastise her, and
they usually let you go, but she did a runner on them... the police
had to chase her down the beach," Mr Wood said.

"When they took her back to the police station, she continued to abuse
everyone at the police station including the chief of police and I
think this is what the problem is.

Seems this lady is not smart enough to treat local officers with
respect.

Exactly. And she and her family just keep digging a deeper hole. They
should apologise and ask what thye can do to make things right, and show
a penitent attitude (pretend if necessary - but the point is to do what
it takes to get free, and screw the self-righteousness).

Ian.

On May 20, 5:59 pm, "Viviane" wrote:
Ah - you've obviously read today's Daily Telegraph (Sydney).

G'day Viviane,

Fantastic to hear from you on SCT again and hope you and your family
are doing great! Viviane I am just wondering if you would have a link
to the particular newspaper you mention? I have been following THIS
story very closely and would very much like TO read any further pieces
written about it. I am currently putting together a scrapbook that
will list all hard copy articles written as well as printouts OF any
online references. I am then hoping to have it made into a lovely
memento I can then send down to Melbourne to the lady concerned. If
you could provide me with a link to the online newspaper I would be
very grateful.

Kind regards and have a lovely evening,
Brian