A British tourist was left unconscious and covered in blood after being attacked by a group of Thai lap dancers fighting over customers.
Jack Fitzmaurice, 28, was drinking with a girl when others became jealous early Sunday morning at a strip club in Pattaya, eastern Thailand.
The young holidaymaker is said to have tried to break up the argument, but it escalated before he ended up among 20 irate women.
Bystanders said a “Wild West-type bar fight” broke out, with punches and kicks fired into a jumble of chrome dance poles and stilettos.
Thai police eventually arrived to end the brawl at Paradise Agogo in the Soi Buakhao district, a notorious party venue that attracts many British visitors.
Jack Fitzmaurice, 28, (pictured) was drinking with a girl when others got jealous at a strip club in Pattaya, eastern Thailand
He was knocked out when he tried to stop the brawl between twenty Thai women on Sunday morning
Jack was found battered and bruised with blood running down his white T-shirt
The assault took place in the Soi Buakhao district, a notorious party location
Jack was found battered and bruised with blood running down his white T-shirt. He lay prone on the ground after falling unconscious before being helped to his feet to recover.
He said, “It’ll be fine, I just want to go home to bed.”
Nick Hodge, a fellow Briton who was in the bar at the time, said the fight started when two of the girls started arguing about who had harassed the customer.
He said: ‘I think there was a bit of jealousy over who got which punter. Before I knew it the girls were fighting. The poor child just tried to stop them and ended up getting a good beating.
‘The hair was being pulled and the legs were flying in all directions. Then the bar staff came in and things got quite nasty. It looked like a Wild West type bar fight you see in old movies. Just angry.”
‘The hair was being pulled and the legs were flying in all directions. Then the bar staff came in and it got pretty nasty,” said an onlooker
Nick Hodge, who witnessed the fight, said: “The poor kid just tried to hold them back and ended up taking a good beating.”
“I’ll be fine, I just want to go home to bed,” Jack kept telling the paramedics
The fight quickly escalated and the nearly two dozen women destroyed nearby property
The woman involved in the first fight, Sunaree Tungprakhon, 35, told police she had a busted lip and cuts and bruises on her face.
She said her argument with a fellow dancer caused the first argument. However, she said she did not want to press charges because she feared “others involved would take revenge on her.”
She said: ‘There was a group of about 20 people punching and kicking until my British friend got involved and was also injured.
“I don’t want to get into trouble with this group of people, I’m afraid it will become dangerous.”
Police said the British tourist and his partner had made statements to police. Officers are now checking CCTV footage and interviewing bar staff and dancers.
Police arrived at the strip club to break up the fight between nearly two dozen women
Once a sleepy seaside village, the city has turned into a depraved sex tourism destination in recent decades
The incident comes as Thai ministers consider extending nightlife opening hours from 2am to 4am to boost the country’s tourism economy.
Lt. Col. Natchaphol Saengsi, deputy investigating officer at Pattaya City Police Station, said: “Most of those involved were drunk, but that is no justification. Some witnesses said the injured tourist tried to run away from the bar, but staff chased him and attacked him.
“We are identifying and questioning all suspects involved to ensure fairness to both parties before proceeding with any further legal action.”
The incident comes as Thai ministers consider extending nightlife opening hours from 2am to 4am to boost the country’s tourism economy.
However, nightlife in Pattaya – dubbed the sex capital of the world – has become a sensitive area due to the damage the city often causes to the country’s reputation.
Once a sleepy seaside village, the town has turned in recent decades into a depraved sex tourism destination where local women can earn more by selling themselves to British men.