Jomtien Beauty Clinic owner Michael Goulet indicted for fraud.

Pattaya, 29th October 2014

Michael Goulet

The owners of Thonglor Clinic in Jomtien, near Pattaya, have been indicted for fraud in Pattaya Provincial Criminal Court.




Following case number 9336/2556 being accepted for trial after a preliminary hearing, the Court found there was a prima facie case to answer and Canadian expat Michael Goulet was formally indicted this week, and has paid bail of THB 300,000 (USD10,000).

Goulet, the co-owner of the Thonglor Clinic, which advertises under the 'Forever Young' banner, has pleaded not guilty to fraud charges,

It is alleged in Court documents that Goulet, a veterinary surgeon, presented himself as a qualified medical doctor.

The Plaintiff in the case, David Hanks, alleges that treatment recommended by Goulet has caused permanent damage that is expected to require corrective surgery.

The Court ordered that separate charges in relation to allegations of the use of non Thai FDA approved treatments be referred to the Thai FDA and Consumer Protection committee in Bangkok.

Thonglor Clinic is an advertiser and supporter of convicted criminal Andrew Drummond, who was jailed for four months (suspended for one year) for defaming Hanks. Drummond faces at least five more criminal trials next year.

Hanks has filed a further case against Goulet and Drummond in relation to an article on Drummond's blog.

Fugitive Expat Real Estate agent Andrew 'Andy' Mathews arrested.

Pattaya, 31st October 2014

A fugitive expat real estate agent was arrested today in Jomtien on the strength of an arrest warrant issued by Pattaya Provincial Court.

Andrew 'Andy' Mathews, 49 from Wolverhampton, was arrested just after 1600hrs when police were informed that Mathews was drinking in 'The Silver Fox Bar' in Jomtien.

In case number 5919/57, filed by German national Rolf Haupt, Pattaya Court issued a warrant on 20th October 2014 when Mathews failed to answer a summons to appear. 

Mathews was described in the warrant as a 'wanted fugitive'.

Mathews is expected to spend tonight in custody at Dong Tan police station.

Mathews cannot be granted police bail as the warrant was issued by the Court, and will be sent to Pattaya Court tomorrow morning.

Mathews has a further Court date in a new case on Monday and is not expected to be granted bail before that hearing.

Mathews is expected to be remanded in custody tomorrow, at which time he will be sent to the Pattaya Special Remand Prison at Nong Palai.

Lawyers for Haupt are expected to oppose bail as Mathews has at least three new cases pending, and has three previous convictions for violent offences in Thailand in the last five years, including two suspended jail sentences.

Further cases have been filed against Mathews in relation to allegations of threats to witnesses.

Mathews had previously featured in a number of articles written by UK journalist Andrew Drummond, now himself a convicted criminal after being sentenced to 4 months in jail (suspended for one year) by Pattaya Court earlier this year.

Drummond has not covered any of the three new cases Mathews now faces.

Cha Am Property Developer Sukanya Pechan to face more charges in Pattaya Court.

Pattaya, 25th October 2014

Sukanya Pechan 

Following a report on this site last week regarding a Cha Am property developer being named as a defendant in a criminal case  filed at Pattaya Court on 6th October, Ms. Sukanya 'Suk' Pechan (สุกัลยา เป๊ะชาญ), who formerly ran a company 'P S Consulting and Travel Co. Ltd' in Soi Chaiyapruek 2 in Pattaya, has had some of her assets frozen after Pattaya Provincial Court issued an injunction freezing Ms. Pechan's assets in Pattaya.

Following Ms. Pechan being tracked down last month by John McDonald in Cha Am, Pattaya Court issued an order freezing some of Ms. Pechan's assets, including her shareholdings in 'P S Consulting and Travel Co. Ltd' in black case number 680/56 red case number 1221/56 in which the Court ordered Ms. Pechan to pay McDonald THB 760,000 plus interest, which with interest and costs now amounts to over 1.2 million Thai Baht.

Following leaving Pattaya, Ms Pechan has apparently opened a number of offices in Cha Am, and appears to have closed the Pattaya office in Soi Chaiyapruek 2, which now boasts a 'for sale' sign.

P S Legal Group (Cha Am) Co. Ltd in Cha Am.

Ms. Pechan, born in Khon Khaen, now apparently runs three companies in Cha Am, PS Legal Group (Cha Am) Co. Ltd (บริษัท พี. เอส. ลีเกิล กรุ้ป ชะอำ จำกัด), PS Construction and Design and PS Legal One Stop Service Co. Ltd (บริษัท พี. เอส. ลีเกิล วัน สต๊อบ จำกัด ) and is believed to have interests in a number of property developments in the Cha Am area.

Ms Pechan will face Court in Pattaya on December 8th in black case number 10378/2557, which details almost 100 criminal charges, including holding illegal company meetings, multiple counts of criminal fraud and making and using false documents. The  case was filed in Pattaya Provincial Court and alleges that Ms. Pechan incorporated a new company on behalf of a client on 24th January 2012 to purchase a property in Pattaya, but then on 9th February 2012 registered a KAYFAC loan on the property in the sum of THB 2,916,000 (GBP 56,000) without the knowledge of the client. The case alleges that Ms.Pechan sold the property with a right of redemption for THB 2,916,000 when the true value of the property was THB 7,500,000 (GBP 144,000).

P S Construction and Design in Cha Am.

Court records show that Ms. Pechan and three others have been charged with holding more than 20 company meetings without advising the home owner, and each meeting has four associated criminal charges.ords show that Ms. Pechan and three others have been charged with holding more than 20 company meetings without advising the home owner, and each meeting has four associated criminal charges.

Following the article on this site, at least three other expats have come forward alleging Ms. Pechan has taken them as investment partners, but has not returned the investments and as a result further Court proceedings seem likely.

Ms. Pechan apparently left Pattaya in July 2013 and set up base in Cha Am, leaving behind offices in Soi Chaiyapruek and also two other offices in Jomtien. Ms. Pechan previously had offices in Soi Buakow in Pattaya.

Investigations into the activities of Ms. Pechan in Pattaya and Cha Am are continuing.

Expat resident in Thailand to be allowed to serve summons from Thai Court on Google in California.

Koh Samui, 20th October 2014

David Hanks - suing Google

Following a short hearing at Koh Samui Provincial Court today an expat living in Thailand has been given leave to file documents that will allow a criminal indictment filed under Thailand's Computer Crimes Act to be served on the directors of internet giant Google in California.

David Hanks, 66, has been given leave to amend pleadings and file supplementary documents, including translations of the indictment previously filed in Thai language, and copies of various exhibits, which will then be sent to Google in California under provisions of Thai law that in limited circumstances allow service of Court documents outside Thailand.

In case number 1434/2557, Koh Samui Provincial Court heard that Google acts as a 'service provider' for a number of web sites, as well as numerous 'Google Plus' profiles that have been used by a small number of individuals to engage in what is described as an ongoing campaignof #cyberharassment and #cybermobbing, and it is alleged #Google is in breach of s.15 of the Computer Crimes Act of Thailand.

To comply with provisions of Thai law for serving documents in California, documents will now be translated into English, and sent via the US Embassy to be served on Google's directors in California.

The case brought by Hanks is a landmark case in so far as if Hanks succeeds in getting Google directors to Court in Thailand, it opens the door for directors of other service providers and social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, to be prosecuted in Thailand by parties resident in Thailand.

In what is believed to be the first ever prosecution of an international service provider in a Thai Court, Hanks has cited ss. 15 and 17 of the Computer Crimes Act (Thailand) 2007, saying that following the discovery of a 'disgusting, vile and degrading' post on a #Google #Blogspot where the author could not be identified - and which Google subsequently refused to remove, Hanks filed the current proceedings to force removal.

Thailand has a large number of users of social media, and prior to today it was widely thought to have been near impossible to take Court action in Thailand, as service providers overseas have previously thought to have been beyond the reach of Thai Courts.

#Google have had a recent run of defeats in Courts in a number of countries, including Australia, Italy, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and the United Kingdom.

Daniel Hegglin

In a recent case in the UK, the High Court made a similar ruling to the one made in Koh Samui today, and allowed Daniel Hegglin (Hegglin v Google Inc and Ors (2014) EWHC 2808 (QB)) to serve an action brought in the UK on Google in California. #Hegglin is also suing for anonymous posts indexed in Google search. The Hegglin case is reported here.

Albert Yeung

In another case filed in Hong Kong, Albert Yeung ( Sau Shing Yeung v Google Inc 1383/2012) High Court Justice Marlene Ng dismissed an application to strike out the case brought by Google who had argued they could only be sued in the United States. The Yeung case is further reported here.

Google has argued in nearly every case that it cannot be sued outside the United States and so far has lost every decision.

The case against Google filed by Hanks follows one of the individuals involved in the matter being convicted of defamation earlier this year, and a new criminal case being accepted against him by the same judge in Koh Samui last week.

Hanks said today:

'Obviously we are very happy that we can now proceed to the next stage of this case, and today's ruling shows that international service providers may well be forced to defend their policies in the Criminal Courts in Thailand'.

Other social media providers such as Facebook and Twitter are expected to monitor the outcome of this case to see if they too could be prosecuted in Thailand.

Arrest warrant issued for expat real estate agent Andrew 'Andy' Mathews.

Pattaya, October 20th 2014

Andy Mathews

Pattaya Provincial Court today ordered the arrest of a Jomtien real estate agent after a short hearing.

In a case brought by Rolf Haupt, a real estate investor based in Hong Kong, the Court ordered Andrew 'Andy' Mathews to be arrested and brought before the Court to answer allegations that Mathews has issued various threats against Haupt.

Mathews will in mid November face Court again in a further case brought by Haupt's company and a further case filed by a female employee of the company.

 It is also alleged Mathews has sent hundreds of written threats and defamatory statements by email and SMS message to a number of other people.

 At a recent preliminary hearing, the Court heard witness evidence and was satisfied a prima facie case exists for Mathews to face trial, and had summonsed Mathews to answer the indictment.

It is alleged in Court documents that Mathews has for at least a year been threatening a number of individuals, as well as sending hundreds of harassing emails.

After failing to appear, Mathews is now expected to face an extremely tough bail hearing, since he has already been convicted three times in recent years in Thailand for violent offences, most recently for assault and aggravated criminal trespass, and has at least two current pending suspended terms of imprisonment totalling 26 months jail in total.

Mathews has three new pending cases, and the arrest warrant issued today covers only the first case, a second summons has been issued for Mathews to appear on November 19th.

Lawyers are now expected to vigorously oppose bail in all cases against Mathews,  citing a number of written threats made by Mathews not only to Haupt, but also allegedly to witnesses in the case.

Mathews has now failed to turn up at Court twice in the past two months.

Cha Am Property Developer Sukanya Pechan to face Court in Pattaya on fraud charges.

Pattaya , 6th November 2014

Sukanya Pecham

 A criminal case was filed at Pattaya Court on 6th October 2014 against Ms. Sukanya 'Suk' Pechan (สุกัลยา  เป๊ะชาญ), who formerly ran a company 'P S Consulting Co. Ltd' in Soi Chaiyapruek 2 in Pattaya.

Black case number 10378/2557 alleging multiple counts of criminal fraud was filed in Pattaya Provincial Court alleging that Ms. Pechan incorporated a new company on behalf of a client on 24th January 2012 to purchase a property in Pattaya, but then on 9th February 2012 registered a KAYFAC loan on the property in the sum of THB 2,916,000 (GBP 56,000) without the knowledge of the client.

The criminal case was filed by lawyer Somsak Chopaka on behalf of a UK expat who had purchased the property as a retirement home for THB 7,500,000 (GBP 144,000).

Court records show that Ms. Pechan and three others have been charged with holding more than 20 company meetings without advising the home owner, and each meeting has four associated criminal charges.

For legal reasons the UK expat cannot be named at this time as Ms. Pechan has filed a defamation charge with Petchaburi police and that matter is now in Petchaburi Court - the charge alleges the client said to a third party Ms. Pechan had taken a loan against the property without his knowledge. The case is being defended under the provisions of s. 330 of the Criminal Code on the basis that a true statement cannot be defamatory.

Ms. Pechan, born in Khon Khaen, now runs three companies in Cha Am, PS Legal Group (Cha Am) Co. Ltd (บริษัท  พี. เอส. ลีเกิล กรุ้ป ชะอำ จำกัด), PS Construction and Design and PS Legal One Stop Service Co. Ltd (บริษัท พี. เอส. ลีเกิล  วัน สต๊อบ จำกัด ) and is believed to have interests in a number of property developments in the Cha Am area.

Ms. Pechan apparently left Pattaya in July 2013 and set up base in Cha Am, leaving behind offices in Soi Chaiyapruek and also two other offices in Jomtien. Ms. Pechan previously had offices in Soi Buakow in Pattaya. It is believed a number of expats in Pattaya will be interested in contacting Ms. Pechan.

Ms. Pechan was tracked down in Cha Am after Pattaya Provincial Court issued a Writ of Execution in a case filed by John McDonald, black case number 680/56 red case number 1221/56 following a judgement being entered ordering Ms. Pechan to pay McDonald THB 760,000 plus interest, and some of Ms. Pechan's assets have now been frozen by order of Pattaya Court.

Investigations into Ms. Pechan are continuing.

Convicted British Journalist Andrew Drummond to post bail in 3 criminal cases in Koh Samui

Koh Samui, 16th October 2014

Andrew Drummond - already convicted and facing five new criminal trials in 2015.

A former British journalist who now runs a blog from Bangkok faced two court hearings in two separate criminal cases in Thailand today.

Andrew Drummond, 63, a convicted criminal who was convicted of criminal defamation and sentenced to four months jail  (suspended for one year) in February 2014 in Pattaya Provincial Court faced Court this morning on the Thai island of Koh Samui in case number 1246/2556 brought by David Hanks,  and also was forced to post a bail bond in Pattaya Court in case number 1327/2557 in the afternoon.

Drummond is now on bail in two cases in Pattaya, numbers 8369/2556 and 1327/2557 and was this morning ordered to surrender to Koh Samui Court on 13th November 2014 at 0900hrs to post bail in three other cases, numbers 1246/2556, 1269/2556 and 1826/2556 brought by David Hanks and Brian Goudie respectively.

Following all three cases brought by Hanks and Goudie in Koh Samui being accepted, Drummond must now surrender to the Court and pay a bail bond, as well as potentially being forced to surrender his passport, as the number of accepted charges in Samui under Thailand's tough Computer Crimes Act now stands at 14 separate charges, with a number of lesser charges of defamation also accepted for trial.

The Court today noted in the record that no further adjournments will be granted, and if Drummond fails to appear on November 13th arrest warrants will be issued.

Goudie and Hanks are said to intend to object to Drummond being released on bail, other than with tough conditions such as a higher than normal bail bond, clear confirmation of a residential address, travel restrictions and surrender of passport, as  they say Drummond now faces at least five criminal trials next year in cases that have already been accepted and is a clear flight risk.

It is said that Drummond will almost certainly face the prospect of a custodial sentence as the number of charges now accepted would leave the prospect of any sentence being suspended being extremely remote.

Plaintiffs are now expected to oppose bail in every case citing the many cases already accepted for trial, coupled with the fact that Drummond is a convicted criminal alleged to now be committing offences while on a suspended sentence - and amid allegations he continues to commit similar offences despite the suspended sentence and being on bail pending trial.

It is understood that Drummond in another case, number 8369/2556, filed by Drew Noyes in Pattaya Provincial Court, will face an application to have his bail revoked or varied since circumstances have changed with the acceptance of four new cases since bail was granted.

At least two other new criminal cases are already filed against Drummond awaiting preliminary hearing, bringing the total number of pending cases to at least seven, and further cases are expected to now be filed in Pattaya and Samui later this month.

Convicted British journalist Andrew Drummond to face Court again.

Pattaya, October 14th 2014

Andrew Drummond - facing opposition to bail.

A former British journalist who now runs a blog from Bangkok will this Thursday (October 16th) face two court hearings in two separate criminal cases in Thailand.

Andrew Drummond, 63, a convicted criminal who was convicted of criminal defamation and sentenced to four months jail  (suspended for one year) in February 2014 in Pattaya Provincial Court will face Court on the Thai island of Koh Samui in a case brought by David Hanks,  and on the same day is expected to be forced to post what Plaintiff's expect will be a 'substantial' bail bond in Pattaya Court in a further case.

It is rumoured that documents have been filed by the Plaintiff in case number 1327/2557 in Pattaya Court objecting to Drummond being released on bail as Drummond now faces at least three criminal trials in other cases early next year in matters brought by Drew Noyes and Brian Goudie that have already been accepted for trial.

It is thought the Court will be asked to set tough bail conditions such as a higher than normal bail bond, confirmation of a residential address, travel restrictions and surrender of passport.

Drummond failed to appear in Koh Samui Court on Monday 13th October in case numbers 1269/2556 and 1826/2556 filed by Goudie last year, in which the Court has already found a prima facie case existed to go to trial - Drummond's lawyer was told that Drummond must now surrender to bail and answer two indictments in two separate cases that list eleven separate breaches of Thailand's Computer Crimes Act at 0900hrs on November 13th. The Court noted in the record that no further adjournments will be granted, and if Drummond fails to appear again arrest warrants will be issued.

A further case filed by David Hanks in Samui, number 1246/2556, has been set down for Thursday 16th October - a hearing at which the Court is expected to commit Drummond to trial on yet more Computer Crimes Charges.

Even if Drummond is released in case number 1327/2557 in Pattaya Provincial Court - also under Thailand's tough Computer Crimes Act, plaintiffs are expected to oppose bail in every other case citing the ,many cases already accepted, coupled with the fact that Drummond is a convicted criminal alleged to now be committing offences while on a suspended sentence, and also while already on bail.

It is understood that Drummond in another case, number 8369/2556, filed by Drew Noyes in Pattaya Provincial Court, will face an application to have his bail revoked since circumstances have changed with the acceptance of three new cases since bail was granted,

At least two other new criminal cases are already filed against Drummond awaiting preliminary hearing, bringing the total number of pending cases to at least seven.

Expat Real Estate in Thailand Andrew 'Andy' Mathews to face bail hearing next week in Pattaya

Pattaya, 12th October 2014

A UK expat working as a real estate agent in Jomtien near Pattaya will next week face Court in a case filed by his previous employer.

Andrew Mathews, formerly of Wolverhampton, will face Court on 20th October for allegedly threatening Rolf Haupt, a real estate investor based in Hong Kong. At a recent preliminary hearing, the Court heard evidence and was satisfied a prima facie case exists for Mathews to face trial, and has summonsed Mathews to answer the indictment.

It is alleged in Court documents that Mathews has for at least a year been threatening a number of individuals, as well as sending hundreds of harassing emails.

Mathews is expected to face a tough bail hearing, since he has already been convicted three times in recent years in Thailand for violent offences, most recently for assault and aggravated criminal trespass, and has at least two current suspended terms of imprisonment pending totalling 26 months jail in total.

Mathews now has three new pending cases, and lawyers are expected to vigorously oppose bail citing a number of written threats made by Mathews not only to Haupt, but also allegedly to witnesses.

Mathews has now failed to turn up at Court twice in the past two months, and in the event he does not appear on October 20th, it is almost certain an arrest warrant will be issued.

Even if Mathews posts bail on October 20th, he faces another bail hearing in a separate case on November 19th.

Mathews was sentenced to 19 months jail in 2012 for threatening Brian Goudie, and ironically a journalist that took up Mathews cause, Andrew Drummond, is now himself on bail and facing criminal charges filed by Goudie.

Convicted Journalist Andrew Drummond to face two bail hearings this week.

Koh Samui, October 12th 2014

Andrew Drummond

A former UK journalist who now runs a blog from Bangkok will this week face two bail hearings in three separate criminal cases in Thailand.

Andrew Drummond, 63, a convicted criminal who was convicted of criminal defamation and sentenced to four months jail  (suspended for one year) in February 2014 in Pattaya Provincial Court will tomorrow face Court on the Thai island of Koh Samui and is expected to be forced to post what Plaintiff's expect will be a 'substantial' bail bond - even if Drummond can persuade the Court to release him on bail.

It is rumoured that documents have been filed by the Plaintiff in tomorrow's cases, Brian Goudie, objecting to Drummond being released on bail as Drummond now faces at least three criminal trials early next year, or alternatively requesting the Court to set tough bail conditions such as a higher than normal bail bond, confirmation of a residential address, travel restrictions and surrender of passport.

Following a preliminary hearing in case numbers 1269/2556 and 1826/2556 filed by Goudie last year, in which the Court found a prima facie case existed to go to trial, Drummond has been summonsed to surrender to bail and answer two indictments in two separate cases tomorrow that list eleven separate breaches of Thailand's Computer Crimes Act.

Drummond has been ordered to surrender to Court officers at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning - or face the prospect of an arrest warrant being issued.

A spokesman for Goudie said today:

'we expect the Court will set bail conditions commensurate with the level of offending in these pending cases, which would almost certainly attract a long custodial sentence if Drummond is convicted at trial. Mr Drummond faces eleven charges that each carry a penalty of up to three years imprisonment, so it is a very serious matter indeed'.

A further case filed by David Hanks in Samui, number 1246/2556, has been set down for Thursday 16th October - a hearing at which the Court is expected to commit Drummond to trial on yet more Computer Crimes Charges.

Even if Drummond is released tomorrow, he will face a further bail hearing at 9 o'clock on Thursday 16th October in case number 1327/2557 in Pattaya Provincial Court - also under Thailand's tough Computer Crimes Act. Plaintiffs in that case are also expected to oppose bail citing the Koh Samui cases, and the cases already accepted coupled with the fact that Drummond is alleged to now be committing offences while on a suspended sentence, and also while already on bail.

It is understood that Drummond is already on bail in another case, number 8369/2556, filed by Drew Noyes in Pattaya Provincial Court and documents are expected to be filed in that case to have Drummond's bail revoked since circumstances have changed with the acceptance of three new cases since bail was granted, and a fourth case expected to be accepted this week.