An Australian tourist was allegedly beaten to death by his British friend in Thailand, police have claimed.
The Australian man had been drinking beer with the Brit, 29, when they had a drunken row in front of their hotel in Pattaya – often referred to as ‘Sin City’ because of its focus on nightlife – before dawn on September 27.
The pair sparked panic as they came to blows in the street while terrified locals watched on in horror.
Police have said the Brit delivered a knockout punch that caused the Australian to smash his head on the pavement.
Medics were called to the scene at around 4:30am local time, where they found the individual sprawled on the ground with no pulse.
The scene following the incident shows emergency services outside the hotel after medics were called to the scene at around 4:30am local time
A general street view shows scenes in Pattaya, which is notorious among tourists for its buoyant nightlife
They performed CPR and rushed him to the Pattaya Memorial Hospital, but they said he could not be revived.
Police Major Tanongsak Inphadung of the Pattaya City Police Station confirmed the Australian’s death and identified the Brit as the suspect.
He said the cause of death was still pending.
Mr Inphadung said: ‘The suspect still denies the charges, but he cannot contest us because we have complete evidence.
‘We have security camera footage from the restaurant and four witnesses who drank together with them. They were all Thais.
‘Tomorrow, we will request the court to detain him at Pattaya Remand Prison.
‘He refused to say anything, even though we had an interpreter, and he will get a lawyer to defend the lawsuit.
‘The suspect was drunk at the time. We need to wait for the autopsy results to see if the deceased was also drunk, but he was seen drinking for hours before the incident. They were tenants on the same floor.’
Pictured: The outdoor area of the hotel where the altercation between the pair occurred before dawn on September 27
The cause of their fight was not clarified by officials.
Former fishing village Pattaya became popular with American troops on ‘rest and relaxation’ breaks in the 1960s when the U.S. military had bases in Thailand to stem the flow of Communism from the east.
In the ensuing years, the coastal resort spawned into a semi-barbarous sex-tourism destination.
Embarrassed officials have made progress in gentrifying the region with family tourism projects but a ravenous nightlife industry continues to dominate the area.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
