Few badly beaten in Hua Hin home debate end up being charged with rape and fined
PUBLISHED: 13 Mar 2025 at 11: 44
Two American taxpayers who were terribly beaten by mates after a home debate in Hua Hin have been fined after being charged with assault for defending themselves.
Desmond and Mary Byrne, of Middlesborough, pleaded guilty in a nearby court on Wednesday to abuse and causing injury. They were given a suspended 20-day statement and fined 17, 500 ringgit. They were expected to get given their documents on Thursday so that they may return to the UK.
” Thailand is known as the Land of Smiles because the people are known for their kindness and friendliness”, the British magazine The Sun quoted Mary as saying. ” But our lovely pensions in heaven has landed us in a life hell”.
Desmond, 77, and Mary, 69, moved to Thailand in 2021, using £200, 000 of their savings to buy a palace in Hua Hin. A short while later, they returned from a trip to get engineers working on their house, and local people saying that they owned the entry path.
The few halted development partially after hiring a local lawyer, but tensions rose until December 2023 when occasions came to a terrible climax.
According to UK media accounts, a younger partners in their 40s came into the Byrnes ‘ lawn and started pulling up crops and screaming abuse at them in Thai. As they approached them, the elderly were violently attacked by the couple, who had Muay Thai education, according to Mary.
The female attacker, apparently from the UK, knocked out Desmond after delivering 22 knocks while he was defenceless on the ground. His Thai mate, a lady, punched and kicked Mary until she fell into a rose bed.
Mary said her father, a retired chemical expert, kicked his foot up at one period but did not strike everyone.
” I firmly believe, 100 %, it was in self-defence”, she said.
The strike left Desmond with serious physical injuries that required substantial hospital treatment. Mary suffered a broken head and a head burn, and has since been experiencing reduced brain function.
The incident was captured on CCTV, but the Byrnes said officers seemed to show little interest in pursuing their problem at first. Finally they managed to hit costs and the other pair were found guilty of rape and told to pay compensation.
To the Byrnes ‘ surprise, their adversaries subsequently filed a police grievance against them, and they were charged in June last year with causing their mates” superficial injury and emotional anguish”. The pair claim that their failure to pay a bribe left them facing a court date and the possibility of prison time.
” There was a long period of exploration in jury because it was said we had caused contempt of court due to the protection of our situation. We denied it”, Mary, a withdrew caregiver, told The Sun.
The Byrnes had their visas seized and were forbidden from leaving Thailand.
” We just want to travel house. It’s like something out of a poor movie”, Mary told American media before the child’s court appearance.
” We are now trapped like prisoners despite no being locked up. Our health has deteriorated and we’ve spent our life saving on this terrible ordeal”.