‘Touch her again and I’ll knock you out!’ Moment British husband ‘defends his wife’
A British husband and his Thai wife were left furious after a heated argument with two Chinese tourists, his shirt ripped and the police were called.
John, 51, and his Thai wife Pookie, 25, have criticized Chinese police for alleged treat them unfairly during the investigation into an alleged attack at a shopping mall in Phuket, Thailand.
The couple reportedly bumped into Chinese woman Zhang Yise and her mother Wu Kuiyun at the Central Phuket Floresta shopping mall on August 19. A heated argument ensued, which later led to police complaints and legal action.
Footage of Zhang shows her following the pair out of the building as they insult each other.
John warned the Chinese ladies not to touch him or he would ‘wrong out’ them, while an enraged Zhang tried to stop him from leaving the mall. She replied: ‘You stay here! You’re killing me! You touched me! Stop here, you can’t go, I’ll kill you!’
John, 51, pictured with his Thai wife Pookie, 25, is seen arguing with two Chinese women
The feud broke out after John reportedly ran into one of the Chinese women at a shopping mall
The violent riot broke out at the Central Phuket Floresta shopping mall on August 19
John called security and hurled more insults at Zhang and her mother, calling them “stupid Chinese women, crazy Chinese women.”
John said he called Ekapop Luangprasert, an adviser to the interior minister and founder of a social media complaints page, because he felt the police investigations were “not balanced.”
In a press conference on August 30, the British man, who wore a hoodie, sunglasses and a face mask to conceal his identity, said: ‘I asked my wife to order a GrabTaxi for us because we were about to go home and then this Chinese lady bumped into me. I turned around, I said ‘be careful’, then the younger Chinese lady said ‘if you hit my mother, if you hit my mother, fuck you, fuck you, I’m calling the police!’ So I said okay, call the police. But it made me a bit worried, what are these police like? So we wanted to leave.’
John claimed he “swatted” Zhang away with his arm when she lunged at Pookie, prompting Wu Kuiyun to rush at him and punch him.
He said Zhang fell when he stepped aside as she ran towards him.
He continued: ‘I had two very aggressive Chinese women attacking me, trying to get around me to get my wife. I’m trying to defend myself and protect my wife. All I did was create distance. If I wanted to hurt someone, they would be in the hospital.’
He criticised the police, calling their investigation “unfair and unbalanced”.
One of the Chinese women can be heard screaming, ‘You stay here! You’re destroying me! You touched me! Stay here, you can’t go, I’ll destroy you!’
Meanwhile, John warned the Chinese ladies not to touch him or he would “knock them unconscious,” while an enraged Zhang tried to stop him from leaving the mall
John pictured speaking to media after rampage at shopping mall in Thailand
He said, ‘What I couldn’t understand was that it was just two people who had hit each other in a shopping mall. And all of a sudden the police, their only focus is me. Why aren’t they looking at the Chinese? Why is the focus just farang, farang, farang?’
‘Farang’ is a Thai term for foreigners of Western descent.
John said he and his wife cooperated with police but still felt they were being treated unfairly. They were allegedly pressured to settle and apologize because the Chinese side was reportedly influential and well-connected.
He said, ‘I don’t feel safe. We had to change rooms very often. These people are very connected. We don’t feel safe, so when this situation is over with the court, my wife and I are going to leave Thailand.’
In response to the press conference, Zhang presented video evidence that she claimed refuted John’s statements. She said she tried to apologize to the couple after bumping into them, but John began cursing and insulting her.
Lt Gen Surapong Thanomjit, commander of Region 8 police, said police have collected evidence and both sides will be heard during the trial.
He said: ‘No party should present only its own advantages and then criticise the other party. Nor should any party criticise the actions of the police officers to the extent that they go beyond reality.’