A retired British man has been found dead in his room in Thailand just days after divorcing his wife.
The 74 year-old had been bedridden for months and lived alone in rural Nan province in the north of the country. The former aviation engineer from Southport was said to have been staying in a sparse rented room after his wife left him.
He is understood to have been relying on his wife and her relatives for daily care and meals and was discovered dead on May 11, just days after finalising the divorce.
Police were called to the scene when the landlady, Kham, saw the tourist lying motionless through the window. Officers found him splayed out on the sheets, while a mug, water bottles, and a rubbish bag were next to the bed.
On a nearby table were more water bottles, condiments, sandwich spreads, and a bottle of unopened Korean soju. Officers said there were no indications that an attack had taken place.
Police Captain Trairat Tengtrairat of Mueang Nan Police Station said: “We did not find any signs of a struggle, assault, or murder, so we believe he may have died from an underlying medical condition.
“Officers examined the body, photographed the scene, and created a crime scene reconstruction. His body was taken to Nan Hospital for a post-mortem exam while authorities coordinate with the embassy and related agencies for further procedures.’Kham said the man was last seen alive around two days ago. She said: ‘He had been renting the room from me for about a year. He was previously married to a Thai woman (…) but they later divorced.”
And the landlady continued: ‘A few months ago, he became ill and could no longer walk, so his ex-wife’s relatives would bring him food and help take care of him. I last saw him about two days ago. Today, when I went to check on him in the room, I found him dead.”The ex-wife said they had only recently divorced, around three or four days prior to his death and after the split up he went to live in a rented room. Officials said the British Embassy was being notified for further handling of the case.
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