06 January 2023 , 17:05
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A British man has been shot and killed while riding his scooter in Thailand in an attack that officials believe may have been motivated by a love triangle.
Retired engineer Neil Roger had been driving his red Honda Scoopy home after leaving a party with friends when he was shot four times in the back on Thursday.
Police have said that the 70-year-old's brutal killing could have been a crime of passion or a road rage dispute and are investigating the phone records of his partner, Thitiphan Kamlas.
Locals in Huai Yai, Chonburi, described hearing gunshots and discovering Mr Roger, from Doncaster, South Yorks, in a pool of blood shortly before 10.30pm.
Harrowing CCTV footage from the scene showed a car overtaking Mr Roger before coming to a halt right in front of him.
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Neil Roger had been riding his scooter when he was shot and killed (ViralPress)The chilling footage then caught a figure emerging from the vehicle and shooting Mr Roger, killing him instantly, before jumping back into the vehicle and fleeing the scene.
Ms Kamlas arrived at the scene of the murder to discover her partner lying dead in the road.
Upon witnessing the shocking scene, the distraught 38-year-old collapsed to the floor sobbing.
Police Colonel Surakit In-am from the Huay Yai district police division said they believe the motive behind the killing could have been a "love affair or road rage" and that officers are looking into these hypotheses.
Thitipan Kamlas arrived at the scene after the murder (ViralPress)He said: "The girlfriend's phone has been confiscated and we are checking all the communication she had with him and other people.
"Three motives we are looking at firstly are that the victim was involved in a love affair, road rage or a dispute. We are also planning to interview the last people who saw [the victim] before he went home. They will know if he had an argument before leaving on his bike.
"We have to decide if the attack was planned or it happened suddenly, after something like a fight in the bar."
Mr Roger had lived in Thailand for 20 years (ViralPress)Mr Roger had been living in Thailand for 20 years but had recently returned to the UK to visit his sister — who had been suffering from ill health — in Doncaster.
He had arrived back in Thailand just a day before the killing and police have said they believe it was a targeted attack.
Police Colonel Chakkrapan Kittisiripornkul, Deputy Commander of Chonburi Police, said: "We are questioning the dead man's partner and circumstantial witnesses while also checking surveillance cameras along the route.
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Police are looking into multiple potential motives (ViralPress)"The police did not reach a conclusion for motive yet but we have confirmed that the victim had just travelled back to Thailand from his Christmas holiday.
"We do not believe this was a random shooting. Pattaya is a safe place and this does not normally happen."
Another police commander, Itthipol Itthisaronchai, said that officers had also begun looking at Mr Roger's "financial transactions" in order to discover who could benefit from his death.
Police are questioning Thitipan Kamlas about the killing (ViralPress)He added: "Immigration and tourist police officials have been summoned to assist with the investigation.
"They will look at his visa extensions and various financial transactions to find out who would get the benefits from the deceased."
Police said that Mr Roger had been going "in and out" of the country and that he also had Thai family.
They confirmed that the road has been reopened after they gathered all the evidence they need from the scene.