Three to face court for beating of Aussie
PHUKET: Three taxi and tuk-tuk drivers are to appear in court tomorrow, charged with assault causing bodily harm, following a complaint brought against them by Australian tourist Peter Hulands, 45.
Tuesday 7 August 2012, 05:27PM
Pol Col Jirapat Phoachanapan, superintendent of Kathu Police Station in Patong, told The Phuket News this afternoon that the three deny the charge, alleging that Mr Hulands threw the first punch in the brawl in the early hours of Tuesday morning (July 31) outside the Rock City bar in Patong.
They will argue that they were simply defending themselves, the Colonel said.
Mr Hulands lost the fight, receiving a broken nose and a cracked eye socket for his pains.
He told The Phuket News the day after the fight that the taxi drivers had made obscene remarks about his partner, Karyn Connors, who was wearing a hat resembling a cat’s head, and that he had gone to remonstrate with them, at which point they attacked him.
The drivers denied having made any such remarks, and said Mr Hulands started the fight.
The fight occurred on the first day of the new Patong Safety Zone being introduced in an effort by authorities to improve security in the town.
