A British man is facing spending the next two years behind bars after he was arrested for allegedly writing fake one-star reviews for a restaurant in Thailand.
Cops swooped and arrested the Brit, identified only as Alexander, at his Bangkok pad yesterday after he had a falling-out with the owners of an Italian restaurant on the island of Phuket.
The argument reportedly occurred because the 21-year-old had wanted to use the Italian restaurant as a convenient gateway to his condominium on Phuket in 2022. The restaurant owner did not agree, saying that Alexander was barred from using his business as a short-cut as he was not a paying customer.
The British national has been arrested on suspicion of entering false computer data (ViralPress)As revenge, Alexander is said to have enlisted his friends' help in flooding the restaurant with negative reviews, plunging its rating from 4.8 to 3.1 out of 5 stars.
The owner filed a complaint with the Sakhu Police Station claiming the fake reviews had caused damage to the restaurant's finances and reputation and officers from Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau arrested Alexander at his new apartment in Bangkok on May 9.
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The warrant issued for Alexander’s arrest dates from August 2023 and says he is suspected of “entering false computer data likely to cause damage to the general public”. Defamation is a criminal offence in Thailand and carries a punishment of up to two years in prison.
Police Major Jomparit Kaewreung of the Crime Suppression Division said: “The suspect was handed over to the inquiry officer of Sakhu Police Station for further legal action. During the interrogation, he has denied the charges.” Alexander has been taken back to the Sakhu Police Station in Phuket.
Officers from Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau arrested Alexander at his apartment in Bangkok on May 9 (ViralPress)Another tourist, an American this time, was arrested October 2020 for posting a negative hotel review he posted on TripAdvisor. He accused the Sea View Resort in Phuket of “modern-day slavery”. He was subsequently detained and charged under Thailand's strict anti-defamation laws before apologising and being released.
Wesley Barnes, was charged with criminal defamation for posting critical reviews of the Sea View resort on the island of Koh Chang. He spent two nights in jail before leaving Thailand.
The owner filed a complaint claiming the fake reviews had caused damage to his business (ViralPress)Once he was out of the country, Trip Advisor posted a one-of-a-kind notice on the Sea View’s page warning travellers that the hotel was behind the jailing of a guest for posting harsh reviews.
“This hotel or individuals associated with this hotel filed criminal charges against a Tripadvisor user in relation to the traveller writing and posting online reviews,” the warning reads. “The reviewer spent time in jail as a result.”
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