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A British pensioner was killed while riding his scooter in Thailand in what police have said is a possible road rage incident or love triangle.
The retired engineer, 70, had been drinking with friends before riding home on his moped down a dark lane when he was shot four times in the back on Thursday.
Pattaya residents heard the shots and found the victim, from Doncaster, in a pool of blood shortly before 10:30pm. Four shell casings were found on the nearby road.
The man’s younger partner, 38, arrived at the scene where he collapsed in tears. Police and paramedics gave him CPR but pronounced him dead en route after suffering severe blood loss.
A British pensioner has been killed when he was shot four times in the back while riding his scooter in Thailand. Pictured: Police officers and paramedics are seen at a crime scene after the retired engineer was shot four times in the back while riding his moped down a dark road in Pattaya on Thursday night. He was found around 10:30 p.m.
Officers have now seized the victim’s partner’s phone and are interviewing her, with a theory that the man was involved in a love triangle in the notorious vacation destination, known for its crime and adult nightlife.
Police said the victim had been living in Thailand for 20 years and had a Thai family.
Photos from the scene overnight Thursday showed officers and paramedics on a dark stretch of highway, holding numbered signs next to bullet casings on the tarmac.
Police Colonel Surakit In-am of the Huay Yai District Police Station said two possible motives for the brutal killing were “infidelity in love or road rage.”
Speaking today, he said: ‘The girlfriend’s phone has been confiscated and we are reviewing all communication she had with [the man] and other people
‘[The victim] he could also have been involved in a dispute with other foreigners or a road rage while traveling home. We do not know the motive for the murder. No one has been arrested yet. We are still investigating and collecting all the evidence.
Officials said the 70-year-old man had been hit four times in the back with three 9mm shell casings and a piece of shrapnel. He had two gunshot wounds to the back, one above the waist and one below the armpit.
He crashed to the ground and was lying on his back next to his red Honda Scoopy when the police arrived. He was also wearing a helmet, which was removed while the medics checked his body.
The man’s glasses were also found on the road next to his body, about two miles from his home.
Locals heard the shots and found the victim, from Doncaster, in a pool of blood shortly before 10:30pm. Four shell casings were found on the nearby road. Pictured: The stretch of road in Thailand is seen on Friday, where the man was found on January 4.
Police Colonel Chakkrapan Kittisiripornkul, deputy commander of the Chonburi police, said the man’s partner arrived at the scene shortly after the accident.
The couple, who had been with the pensioner for four years, collapsed on the ground and wept next to the corpse of their lover. She told police that they lived together but their marriage had never been registered.
The widow told police the victim was a retired engineer from England who had been visiting his sick sister for Christmas before returning to Pattaya on Wednesday, January 4.
On the day of her death, he went out drinking with friends at 4 pm while she took care of the house. She waited at home until someone called her to tell her that she had been shot. The couple told police that they did not know if the man had a dispute with other expats or locals.
Police Colonel Chakkrapan said resident Kittikun Impeng, 29, was interviewed at the scene. He told officers that he was on a motorcycle and saw someone lying in a pool of blood.
Kittikun tried to call him, but he could only hear the sound of breathing, so he called the emergency services. After they saw signs of gunshots, he called the police.
Paramedics arrived first but the victim was already dead.
Speaking by phone this morning, Police Colonel Surakit said “infidelity or road rage” were two possible motives for the murder.
He said: ‘Three reasons we’re looking at first 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 he left on his bike.
‘We have to decide if the attack was planned or happened suddenly, after something like a bar fight.
“The shooter left quickly with no leads and no witnesses to see him, so we still don’t know if they were on foot, on a motorcycle or in a car.
“We have all the evidence we need from the scene and the way is open again.”
Meanwhile, neighbors told officers they heard gunshots about three or four times, but didn’t notice anyone because the road was often lined with motorcycles and cars.
Speaking today, Police Colonel Chakkrapan said investigating officers would meet on Friday afternoon to assess the case and possible suspects.
He added: ‘We are questioning the deceased’s partner and circumstantial witnesses as we review surveillance cameras along the route, but we do not have the images yet.
“Police have not yet reached a conclusion on the motive, but we have confirmed that the victim had just traveled back to Thailand from his Christmas vacation.
We are investigating and we just had a meeting with some supervisors and we will have more meetings in the afternoon. We don’t believe this was a random shooting. Pattaya is a safe place and this usually doesn’t happen.’
Police Commander Itthipol Itthisaronchai said today that officers were looking into the “man’s financial dealings and who would benefit” from his death.
He said: ‘Immigration and tourism police officers have been summoned to assist with the investigation. They will look at your visa extensions and various financial transactions to find out who would get the deceased’s benefits.
‘The deceased lived in Thailand for about 20 years and was in and out of the country. He had a Thai family.
‘We are ready to solve the case. The meeting this afternoon was in production and security cameras are being monitored along the routes around the incident. Police did not reveal what [the victims] girlfriend told them in interviews.
She has not been arrested.
MailOnline has contacted the British Foreign Office for comment.