Swede admits to murder in Khao San, Thailand

 

A 37-year-old Swedish national is currently charged with stabbing an Australian to death in Thailand. The Swedish post Aftonbladet met with the Swede in prison where he confessed to having stabbed the Australian, claiming that it was out of fear for his own safety.

“The Australian and his gang had tried to kill me twice. The second time was a week before the incident. He did it because he owed me money, which I had been pushing for. I got a tip that they were going to try to kill me again. That day I saw the Australian and some of his friends at Khao San. There was a tumble, I went up to him and stabbed him with a small knife I had brought with me,” he explains.

Initially Swedish media reported that he had shot his victim but Thai police explains that this was a matter of “lost in translation” and that the murder weapon was actually a knife.

The murder was caught on a surveillance camera and the Swede is currently being held at the Bangkok Remand Prison, a part of the Klong Prem prison complex in central Bangkok. After reviewing the tape, the charges have been changed to 1st degree murder.

“We have a surveillance tape which shows the entire episode. When we analyzed it, it changed the charges. The Swede simply cuts him down. Legally, it looks very bad for him,” said a source from the police to the Swedish post Aftonbladet.

The Swede attacked first, but still sees it as self-defense.

“I felt so threatened by him that I saw it as self-defense. But it will be hard to prove. But I have several stab wounds on my body that I can show them,” he explains.

He adds that he did not have the money to simply run and hide and that it would be pointless to try because the Thai “gangsters” are in cahoots with the police.

Asides from being charged with murder he also lacks a residence permit and is staying illegally in Thailand. He man was born in the Stockholm area. In 2010 he was convicted of theft in Chiang Mai.

The penalty for murder in Thailand is somewhere between 20 years and death penalty. For foreigners the penalty is often up to 45 years in prison. Having confessed to his crime, the Swedish national will most likely have his sentenced reduced to half.

Read more details on the case and see the full interview here

 

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