A British retiree was killed while riding his motorbike in Thailand in an incident that the police believe may have included road rage or a love triangle.
The 70-year-old retired engineer had been drinking with pals before riding his moped home down a dark lane on Thursday when he was shot four times in the back.
Before 10:30 p.m., locals in Pattaya heard gunshots and discovered the Doncaster victim in a pool of blood. Four gunshot casings were discovered on a neighbouring road.
Thitipan Kamlas, 38, the man’s younger girlfriend, came at the scene where she had slumped in tears. Despite police and paramedics doing CPR, he was declared dead on the roadway due to substantial blood loss.
Officers have already confiscated Thitipan’s phone and are conducting an interrogation with her, with one assumption being that the man was engaged in a love triangle in the infamous vacation resort noted for violence and adult nightlife.
Photos taken overnight on Thursday at the site showed cops and paramedics on a dark stretch of road with numbered markers next to gunshot casings on the asphalt.
Colonel Surakit In-am of the Huay Yai police station said that a romantic relationship and road anger were two plausible causes for the horrible murder.
Today, he said, ‘The girlfriend’s phone has been seized, and we are examining all of her communications with [the guy] and others.
‘[The victim] could also have been involved in a dispute with other foreigners or road rage while he was riding home. We do not know the motive for the murder. Nobody has been arrested yet. We are still investigating and collecting all of the evidence.’
The 70-year-old victim was shot four times in the back by three 9mm bullets and one piece of shrapnel, according to the officers. On his back, he had two bullet wounds, one above the waist and one under the armpit.
When the cops came, he was laying on his back next to his red Honda Scoopy after crashing and landing on the ground. In addition, he was wearing a helmet, which was removed when medical personnel examined his body.
In addition to his corpse, the man’s eyeglasses were discovered on the road around two kilometres from his residence.
Police Colonel Chakkrapan Kittisiripornkul, Deputy Commander of Chonburi Police, said that the man’s companion Thitipan arrived at the site of the accident immediately after it occurred.
Thitipan, who had been in a relationship with the retiree for four years, slumped on the ground and wept next to his corpse. She reported to the police that they lived together, but their marriage was never recognised.
The victim’s widow informed police that he was a retired English engineer who had spent Christmas with his ailing sister before returning to Pattaya on Wednesday, January 4.
On the day of his death, at 4:00 p.m., he went out drinking with friends while she took care of the home. She waited at home till she received a phone call informing her that he had been shot. Thitipan informed the police that she was unaware whether the guy had any issues with other expats or locals.
Colonel of Police Chakkrapan said that 29-year-old resident Kittikun Impeng was questioned at the spot. He said to police that he was riding a motorbike when he saw a person laying in a pool of blood.
Kittikun attempted to call him out, but all he could hear was his breathing, so he dialled 911. After seeing traces of gunfire, he contacted the police.
The paramedics were the first to arrive, but the victim had already passed away.
This morning over the phone, Police Colonel Surakit said that a romantic relationship or road fury were two probable causes for the murder.
He said, ‘Three motives we are looking at firstly are that the victim was involved in a love affair, road rage or a dispute. We are also planning to interview the last people who saw [the victim] before he went home. They will know if he had an argument before leaving on his bike.
‘We have to decide if the attack was planned or it happened suddenly, after something like a fight in the bar.
‘The shooter left quickly without any clues and there were no witnesses who saw them, so we do not know yet if they were on foot, on a motorbike or in a car.
‘We have all the evidence we need from the scene and the road is open again.’
Meanwhile, neighbours informed investigators they heard three or four gunshots but could not see anybody since the route was often occupied by motorcyclists and automobiles.
Today, Police Colonel Chakkrapan said that investigators will meet on Friday afternoon to evaluate the case and potential suspects.
He continued, ‘We are questioning the dead man’s partner and circumstantial witnesses while also checking surveillance cameras along the route, but we do not have the footage yet.
‘The police did not reach a conclusion for motive yet but we have confirmed that the victim had just travelled back to Thailand from his Christmas holiday.
‘We are investigating and have just had a meeting with some supervisors and will have some more meetings in the afternoon.
‘We do not believe this was a random shooting. Pattaya is a safe place and this does not normally happen.’
MailOnline has reached out for comment to the British Foreign Office.