Court sources have confirmed that a UK journalist based inThailand, Andrew Drummond, failed to appear at the reading of a Supreme Court of Thailand judgment this week.
Drummond was convicted of the criminal defamation of James Lumsden and Gordon May, but the conviction was overturned by the Court of Appeal in 2007. May and Lumsden appealed to the Supreme Court and that decision is now to be handed down.
When Drummond did not appear, lawyers asked for an arrest warrant to be issued immediately. Sources have not yet confirmed if the warrant has been issued yet or not.
Drummond was then notably absent at Pattaya Court on 3rd September where a case he had been following avidly was settled. Brian Goudie had in that case requsted Drummond and a Thai lawyer be held in contempt of court for posting court documents on his web site.
Drummond did not appear, and Court officers who had had been alerted and were waiting to detain him following his failure to appear the previous day were unable to take Drummond into custody.
All parties suspect that the primary reason Drummond did not attend the case was Drummond had been tipped off he was to be arrested as soon as he entered the Court.
Drummond then failed to appear in a second criminal case against him in the afternoon of 3rd September where he was scheduled to pay bail following the case being accepted for trial last month, although it is alleged he had been seen near the Court.
Parties speculate Drummond did not appear as he was well aware he would be detained due to his non attendance the previous day, and the matter was adjourned until October 16th. The Court will almost certainly issue a warrant that day if Drummond fails to appear again.
Following two failures to attend in these criminal cases, a plaintiff in another criminal case is expected to apply to the Court to have his bail revoked.
Drummond now faces further bail hearings on 13th October and 16th October in Koh Samui Court in cases brought by #BrianGoudie, and Pattaya Court in a case brought by a Thai national. Following his failure to appear in the reported cases lawyers are expected to oppose Drummond being released pre trial as he now has one conviction, is on a suspended sentence, is already on bail in one case and has three new criminal trials in charges filed under Thailand's tough Computer Crimes Act to face next year.
Thai immigration have been informed, and Drummond will be detained should he attempt to leave the country.
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