An elderly British couple who retired to Thailand before falling victim to a savage attack fear they are about to be sent to jail in the country after the perpetrators accused them of causing ‘mental anguish’.
Des and Mary Byrne from Middlesbrough moved to the resort city of Hua Hin on the Thai Riviera in 2021, and used their hard-earned savings to build a villa to live out their retirements there.
But their dream move soon turned into a ‘horror beyond their worst nightmare’ after they found themselves at the centre of a dispute over land access, according to reports.
In December 2023, the pair heard a commotion in their garden, and went outside to find two people ripping up their plants.
They confronted the pair, a couple in their 40s said to have been their neighbours, and told them to leave the property.
But the unnamed man, believed to be from the UK, then launched a vicious attack on them aided by his partner, a Thai national, which was captured on CCTV.
Both appeared to be physically fit and trained in Thai boxing, Teesside Live reports, leaving Mr and Mrs Bryne, aged 77 and 69 respectively, with little opportunity to defend themselves.
Mr Byrne said he was knocked out cold by his assailant, who then continued to strike him while he was on the floor a total of 22 times, leaving his face and body battered.
Des and Mary Byrne from Middlesbrough moved to the resort city of Hua Hin on the Thai Riviera in 2020. But their dream move soon turned into a nightmare
Mr Byrne said he was knocked out cold by his assailant, who then continued to strike him while he was on the floor a total of 22 times
Mrs Byrne, a former palliative care nurse who worked during the pandemic before retiring, said she suffered a broken nose and bleeding on her brain
Meanwhile his wife was attacked by the woman, who she said punched and kicked her until she fell into a flower bed where she then appears to have been stamped on.
Mr Byrne was reportedly left unconscious after the attack and had to stay in hospital to recover from horrific back and head injuries.
Mrs Byrne, a former palliative care nurse who worked during the pandemic before retiring, suffered a broken nose, bleeding on her brain, and now has an irregular heartbeat, The Sun reports.
The couple’s attackers were arrested and initially denied the charges in May 2024, but later changed their plea to guilty and were ordered to pay compensation, according to the Byrnes.
But the saga took a shocking turn for the pensioners when their home was raided by Thai police officers who then arrested then on counter charges of causing ‘superficial injuries and mental anguish’.
Retired chemical engineer Mr Byrne and retired nurse Mrs Byrne are now due to be hauled before a court on Wednesday, and say they have been told that they will likely be sent to prison.
The couple have spent every penny of their savings trying to clear their names, including selling their retirement home, and have had their passports confiscated.
They also fear that after time in prison they may not be able to return to the UK for years if they receive a post-prison probation sentence, which would mean that their passports are confiscated.
‘All we want is to come home but we are trapped here, we are prisoners and no one seems able to help us,’ Mrs Byrne said.
Mrs Byrne is still suffering from an irregular heartbeat following the 2023 attack
‘It’s like a living hell because it is clear to anyone we are the victims in this and somehow we’re going to be brought in front of a court. It’s a very frightening situation.’
The Byrnes say the charges were brought against them after they refused to pay a bribe.
The couple are now living in temporary accommodation ‘out of suitcases’ after moving out of their villa for their safety.
Their family back in the UK has desperately tried to enlist the help of politicians to help get the couple home.
Rupa Huq, Labour’s MP for Ealing and Central Acton, wrote to foreign secretary David Lammy urging him to support the couple.
But foreign office sources have told The Sun that it cannot intervene in the internal affairs of another country.
An official statement from the FCDO said: ‘We are supporting two British nationals in Thailand and are in contact with the local authorities.’
