Swiss man who kicked Thai woman in Phuket acquitted by court
A Swiss man accused of kicking a Thai woman in Phuket earlier this year has been acquitted by a local court, according to Bangkok Post.
In February, the woman filed a police report against the man over the viral incident.
Clips of the incident, recorded by the Swiss man, spread like wildfire online. The video shows 45-year-old Urs Fehr approaching two women before yelling at them to “get the f**k out of here.”
The camera shifted violently before the man repeated his words in an even louder voice. The man’s actions seemingly left the two women in shock — they got up and left before the video ended.
26-year-old Dr Thandao Chandam, one of the two women, immediately headed to the police station to report the incident.
She told police that she and her friend had stopped at a flight of stairs after enjoying a walk, assuming it was public property.
Suddenly, she “felt her (my) whole body shaken by force” and realised she had been kicked.
Dr Chandam claimed that the man’s wife subsequently threatened her. The wife allegedly said she could get away with shooting the doctor as her son was a powerful police officer.
According to Bangkok Post, the man denied kicking Dr Chandam intentionally.
Couple apologised for incident
A week after the incident, the Swiss man and his wife apologised for the incident when they were invited by officials to tell their side of the story.
The couple claimed that they mistook the two women for tourists who had trespassed into their villa.
As for the alleged kick, they claimed that Mr Fehr slipped while rushing to confront the woman.
His wife even added that doctors who treated the man’s injury confirmed they were caused by slipping.
Police investigations later revealed that the steps in question had encroached on public space, which led to it getting demolished.
Acquitted by the court
On Tuesday (3 Sept), the court acquitted Mr Fehr of his charges, giving him the benefit of the doubt.
Dr Thandao was reportedly upset with the ruling and her lawyers will request a full copy of the court’s judgement in the days to come.
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Featured image adapted from PPTV HD 36.Â
