The Phuket Kwaeng Court has issued an arrest warrant for a Swiss man after he failed to attend a hearing for a ruling in a high-profile assault case involving a Thai doctor, according to the doctor’s lawyer.
The incident took place on Feb 24 last year when Dr Thandao Chandam, 27, was reportedly kicked in the back and verbally abused by 45-year-old Swiss national Urs Fehr, also known as David, while she sat in front of his villa on Yamu Beach in Thalang district.
Mr Fehr, who ran an elephant camp in Phuket, had accused the doctor of trespassing on his rented property.
Dr Thandao filed a physical assault charge against Mr Fehr following the incident.
The court dismissed the case on Sept 3 last year, giving Mr Fehr the benefit of the doubt as there was no clear evidence proving assault. The doctor appealed, and the Court of Appeal was scheduled to hand down its ruling on Monday.
Dr Thandao’s lawyer, Niphit Intharasombat, posted on his Facebook page that Mr Fehr failed to turn up, prompting the court to issue the arrest warrant and reschedule the ruling for May 23.
The “beach bully” incident, as it came to be known, was captured on a phone video, leading to a public outcry and calls for Mr Fehr’s deportation.
Mr Fehr has always maintained that he slipped on the steps and his leg came up in the air, which gave the appearance on the video that he was delivering a kick.
The incident also raised concerns over encroachment on public land, after it was found that the steps leading down to the beach were not part of the villa property and had been built illegally. They were later demolished.
Local residents subsequently called for authorities to do more to return public access to beaches on the resort island.