A British pensioner has been murdered while riding his scooter in Thailand in what police have said is a possible road rage incident, or involved a love triangle.
The retired engineer, 70, had been drinking with friends before travelling home on his moped along a dark road when he was shot four times in the back on Thursday.
Locals in Pattaya heard the gunshots and found the victim, from Doncaster, in a pool of blood shortly before 10:30 pm. Four bullet shells were found on the road nearby.
The man’s younger partner, 38, arrived at the scene where she collapsed in tears. Police and paramedics performed CPR but he was pronounced dead on the road after suffering severe blood loss.
A British pensioner has been murdered by being shot four times in the back while riding his scooter in Thailand. Pictured: Police officers and paramedics are seen at the crime scene after the retired engineer was shot in the back four times as he was driving his moped down a dark road in Pattaya on Thursday evening. He was found at around 10.30pm
Officers have now seized the victim’s partner’s phone and are interviewing her, with one theory being that the man was involved in a love triangle in the notorious holiday destination, known for its crime and adult nightlife.
Police said the victim had been living in Thailand for 20 years, and had a Thai family.
Photos from the scene overnight on Thursday showed officers and paramedics on a dark stretch of road, with numbered signs next to the bullet shells on the tarmac.
Police Colonel Surakit In-am from the Huay Yai district station said that a ‘love affair or road rage’ were two possible motives for the brutal killing.
Speaking today, he said: ‘The girlfriend’s phone has been confiscated and we are checking all the communication she had with [the man] and other people.
‘[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.’
Officers said that the 70-year-old had been hit four times in the back with three 9mm bullet shells and one piece of shrapnel. He had two gunshot wounds on his back, one above his waist and one under his armpit.
He crashed onto the ground and was lying on his back next to his red Honda Scoopy when the police arrived. He had also been wearing a helmet, which was removed while medics checked his body.
The man’s glasses were also found on the road next to his body, around two miles from his home.
Locals heard the gunshots and found the victim, from Doncaster, in a pool of blood shortly before 10:30 pm. Four bullet shells were found on the road nearby. Pictured: The stretch of road in Thailand is seen on Friday, where the man was found on January 4
Police Colonel Chakkrapan Kittisiripornkul, Deputy Commander of Chonburi Police, said that the man’s partner arrived at the scene shortly after the accident.
The partner, who had been with the retiree for four years, collapsed to the ground and was crying next to her lover’s dead body. She told police they lived together but their marriage had never been registered.
The widow told police that the victim was a retired engineer from England who had been visiting his sick sister at Christmas before returning to Pattaya on Wednesday, January 4.
On the day of his death, he went out drinking with friends at 4 pm while she was taking care of the house. She waited at home until someone called her to say that he had been shot. The partner told police she did not know whether the man had any disputes with other ex-pats or locals.
Police Colonel Chakkrapan said that resident Kittikun Impeng, 29, was interviewed at the scene. He told officers that he was riding a motorcycle and saw someone lying in a pool of blood.
Kittikun tried to call him out but he could only hear the breathing sound so he called the emergency services. After they saw signs of shooting, he called the police.
Paramedics arrived first but the victim had already died.
Speaking by phone this morning, Police Colonel Surakit said that a ‘love affair or road rage’ were two possible motives for the killing.
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, nieghbours told officers they heard sounds of gunshots around three or four times but did not notice anyone because the road often had motorcycles and cars driving along.
Speaking today, Police Colonel Chakkrapan said investigating officers were meeting on Friday afternoon to asses the case and possible suspects.
He added: ‘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.’
Police Commander Itthipol Itthisaronchai said today that officers were looking at the man’s ‘financial transactions and who would benefit’ from his death.
He said: ‘Immigration and tourist police officials have been summoned to assist with the investigation. They will look at his visa extensions and various financial transactions to find out who would get the benefits from the deceased.
‘The deceased lived in Thailand for about 20 years and was going in and out of the country. He had a Thai family.
‘We are ready to solve the case. The meeting this afternoon was production and CCTV along the routes around the incident are being monitored.’ Police did not reveal what [the victims] girlfriend told them in interviews.
She has not been arrested.
MailOnline has contacted the British Foreign Office for comment.
