Who wants chowder?
Australian mum faces jail over bar mat 'theft'
An Australian mother-of-four facing five years in a Thai jail for allegedly stealing a bar mat has accused police of targeting her because she was with a group of women.
Annice Smoel spent four nights in a cramped jail cell in Phuket with three other inmates and feels "scared, helpless and alone" after being detained for what she says was a practical joke pulled by her friends.
A holiday in Phuket for her mother's 60th birthday turned into a nightmare on May 2 when she was at the popular Aussie Bar where she says two friends put the bar mat in her handbag.
Undercover police arrested the Melbourne woman and charged her with "night time theft", an offence that carries a higher punishment than day time theft.
Smoel, 36, was bailed after four days in jail but might have to wait 14 weeks in Thailand before she appears in court.
If found guilty, she could face between two and five years in jail.
Talking to reporters in a phone hook up from Phuket, Smoel, from Montrose in Melbourne's east, broke down.
"It's totally unbelievable," she told reporters.
When asked how she was coping away from her daughters Zhian, 12, Daisy, 11, Zoe, eight and Lilly, six, she started crying.
"I just want to come home to my kids. They're terrified and they are scared," she said.
"I really want to be a good mum."
She has missed a daughter's appendix operation, another's birthday and Mother's Day.
She pleaded with the Australian government for help.
"You've got to help me. I haven't done anything, it was all just a set up and a crock," she said.
She believes the only reason the incident has got to this stage is because "we were women on our own".
She says it wouldn't have escalated if there were men with the group.
But the owner of the Aussie Bar, Steve Wood, believes Smoel had been abusive toward the undercover police who had stopped her in the bar.
"When they talked to her all they wanted to do was chastise her, and they usually let you go. But she did a runner on them ... The police had to chase her down the beach," Mr Wood told Fairfax Radio Network.
"When they took her back to the police station, she continued to abuse everyone at the police station including the chief of police and I think this is what the problem is."
Police even refused bribes from Smoel, telling her she must report in every fortnight for the next 14 weeks.
"We offered them money right from the start, because we knew that's the way the system works over here and they wouldn't take it," Ms Smoel said.
Her husband Darren rushed to Thailand from Melbourne after her arrest.
He described the situation as a "complete joke" and told the government to "sort it out".
"I'm not leaving here without her, it's as simple as that," he told reporters via phone link.
"Nobody's putting my wife in jail, I'll tell you that. I will do whatever I have to do to get her out of here."
Lawyer Bernard Murphy said he didn't believe a crime had been committed.
"Let's take the worst view that it was a drunken souveniring of a bar mat: deport her, charge her, get her home, no issue," Mr Murphy told reporters.
"To date we are getting nowhere. It is a really important test for the department of foreign affairs and the minister, Stephen Smith, to take steps and intervene and fix this problem."
He said that if Smoel was an American, "she'd already be home".
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd insisted consular officials in Thailand were "providing every level of assistance" to Smoel and her family.
Well, when you steal a barmat and run from the cops and abuse the chief of police what do you expect?
Slayer of Stupid Threads
I am sick to death of morons going overseas and not knowing the extreme sentences for crimes and blatantly breaking the law, then expecting the Australian government to come get them out of the shit.
I will say that yes its a bit extreme, all this over taking a bar mat but stealing is stealing and if you make the police chase you, you arent going to get any favours.
That dent guy
All over stealing a bar mat...sounds like she deserved it for running and being abusive though.
I've had a bar mat or 2 appear at my place after a night out, but you have to be careful overseas
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Take it out/Take it Back
Lock her up. Let her rot. Dont waste any of my taxpayer $$ trying to save her from her own actions.
Tukin 18s
I heard this story on the radio on the way home, i was surprised when they said she was in jail for 4 days for it! but then when they said she faced up to 5 years i was shocked, just goes to show what a forgiving place Australia is, though it was a stupid thing to do anyways.
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clearly she refused to pay the coppers off, so they nicked her.......
thats how ive been told it work's over there.....
EASTERN CREEK JCNSW 2009
Originally Posted by Commydoor
on holiday
thats all right other countries they cut off your hands so 5 years isnt too bad LOL
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Moderator Puppeh
If she was set up I'm sure they wouldn't have put a bar mat in her bag, it would have been a bag of drugs.
Make the stupid stop!
If the story is true, then yes it is harsh treatment by our laws, but there is the catch- OUR laws. If you travel overseas you must realise there are different laws to ours, and those laws can carry what we consider harsh punishment.
My missus abused me when she heard me laughing about it.....no sense of humour these females. She was pretty keen getting stuck into the Police Chief! Might've had a couple too many Thai jelly bean cruisers me thinks.
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seems like there more to the story... even for thailand, 5 years for a barmat is extreme
VZ SSZ- LS1
You'll probably find out she went off at the cops about the archaic rules/penalties etc etc, something they are sick of hearing from westerners. Just proving a point - they will let her sweat it out then send her home. Bet she will stick to the local from now on lol.
supercharged intercooled
im going to bali at the end of the year with 8 mates and so scared that either myself or a mate will do something stupid like this.
Who wants chowder?
Make sure none of your mates slip anything into your handbag when you're wasted!!
supercharged intercooled
mate my handbag never leaves my side. haha nah all seriousness, damn foreign countries why can't you just except retards for what they are and give them a slap on the wrist like in australia.
Infidel Bear
Mini Putt 2 Champion!
I think this is how Australia needs to make their laws, we are far to lenient. Where does it stop, if your willing to knock off property from an establishment your willing to steal anything. Theft is theft, plain and simple.
Even the owner stated in an interview that normally they would catch the person and them return the property, this woman chose to run.
Imagine if this was the sort of punishment we would see here, along with similar jails where you do not get rewarded for being a crim, it would be a much better place.
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Bit ridiculous I reckon, but she was silly to run away from them and abuse them. And the penalty is a bit extreme as well.
Don't understand why anyone would want to go to thailand though. I certainly don't want to.
And if they have a vendetta or something against australians, then we should ALL stop going there. Full stop. Then see how they feel when they aren't raking in money from our tourists etc.
And also I might add - She is a mother of four young children, yet she still went for a holiday with just her friends overseas. Says a lot for her dosn't it.
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What would have happened if it was an NRL player who stole the mat ??????????????
He would have stuck it in the strippers handbag!
firstly she was in thailand for her mothers 60th birthday and yeah she'd taken some friends with her.
secondly it was a prank gone bad. her so called "friends" put it in her handbag. she ran coz she believed she'd done nothing wrong. after she was arrested one of her friends went to the police and confessed and the cops told her to go away.
she was abusing/yelling at the cops becoz she was trying to get thru to them becoz they wouldnt listen to her.
yeah its a harsh punishment for something she didnt even do.
Take it out/Take it Back
Who the hell runs when they believe that they are innocent?
Infidel Bear
Mini Putt 2 Champion!
Thailand is a brilliant country, beautiful scenery, great people etc. There is no vendetta against Australians, just against ALL CRIMINALS.
Turn it up.
I am sick of Aussies claiming "Someone else put it there", we heard it from bali 9 or 7 or whatever the hell they are, we heard it from queen dopehead corby, we hear it from every CRIMINAL caught breaking a countries laws abroad.
She STOLE the mat, then took off, was the property found in her possession, yes, is she guilty? Hell yes. She took AFTER she was asked to return the item.
I can't believe people whinge when laws are broken here and nothing is done yet god forbid it be ok to break laws in other countries.
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
- Theodor Seuss Geisel
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