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Lee Aldhouse with Intranee Sumawong of the Attorney General's Department, who was one of four escorts on the flight to Thailand

Phuket Murder Fugitive Lee Aldhouse Greets Girlfriend, Gives DNA Sample

Monday, December 3, 2012
PHUKET: DNA samples from the scene of the Phuket murder of Dashawn Longfellow are being compared with saliva from British citizen Lee Alhouse, fresh off an extradition flight to Thailand.

The former kickboxer, held in prisons in his home country for two years during the extended legal argument about his future, will be welcomed at Phuket Prison late today.

Waiting for him at the century-old facility will be Commander Rapin Nichanon, a reformer by philosophy, who has some special arrangements organised.

As of today, there are 2093 prisoners inside Phuket Prison, excluding Lee Aaron Aldhouse. Two of them are British, among 90 foreigners.

Aldhouse will be housed in a renovated dormitory for 20 prisoners, among the smallest sleeping quarters in the prison.

Aldhouse will be given a toothbrush, a flannel, and some shampoo for his pale and tightly-cropped scalp.

Commander Rapin already has an envelope containing 300 pounds that will be converted into Thai baht and deposited in a special account for Aldhouse, 29, at the jail.

The money comes via Intranee Sumawong, Executive Director of International Affairs at the Attorney General's Department, who escorted Aldhouse back from Britain.

Aldhouse will be able to convert the cash into coupons and use the coupons to buy snacks and sweets at the small prison store.

Although the muscular accused murderer will be locked away with all the other prisoners at 4pm each day, each dormitory has one television set.

He can look forward to group calisthenics in the central quadrangle at 6am each morning.

There is also a prison library and the opportunity to play or learn a musical instrument or new handicraft skills in the furniture-making workshop.

Aldhouse is unlikely to join the trusted prisoners who wash cars for a fee to supplement the facility's meagre budget. Female prisoners also provide massages for money.

While Thai prisons are required to provide two meals a day for inmates, Aldhouse, who fought as ''Pitbull,'' will have a generous three meals a day inside Phuket Prison, with a choice at each session.

Perhaps his last real taste of freedom came over the weekend while he was being held at the police station in Chalong, closest police outpost to the scene of the murder in southern Phuket.

Years ago, Aldhouse visited Chalong police station to lay a complaint, as the victim of a hit-run motorcycle crash.

At the weekend his former Thai girlfriend came to visit and was allowed to talk with him.

The woman, said to have been beaten badly at one point by Aldhouse, nevertheless helped him flee Phuket and Thailand. He crossed into Cambodia and eventually caught a flight from Singapore to London, only to be held at Heathrow Airport.

Among the chit-chat that the former girlfriend exchanged with Aldhouse was that she now has a new boyfriend.

After arriving on Phuket on Saturday night, Aldhouse gave police an extended account of what happened on August 13 and August 14, 2010.

His version of the fight that took place that night at the Freedom Bar in Rawai differs from the accounts told by others.

In Aldhouse's account, it was Longfellow, a former US Marine and war veteran, who started the brawl, not the other way around.

Aldhouse, according to sources, told police he was later in fear that Longfellow, 23, would come looking for him and took the precaution of arming himself with a knife or two, just in case.

What actually took place outside and inside Longfellow's apartment leading to his death from stab wounds will be debated very carefully by the Phuket prosecutor with Aldhouse, most likely when the British prisoner next returns to Phuket Provincial Court.

He was taken to Phuket's impressively large central court today, after spending two nights at Chalong police station, to be arraigned.

It's highly likely, given the advanced stage of the preparation of the prosecution's case, that Aldhouse's trial will proceed when he next appears, on December 14.

A guilty plea in a Thai court usually earns an accused a fairly significant reduction in sentence, often by as much as half.

In the case of Aldhouse, who has already made history as the first person extradited to Thailand from Britain under a treaty that's been in place for 101 years, it's a critical decision.

A sentence of less than 15 years would mean he stays in Phuket Prison.

With a sentence of more than 15 years, he would be transferred to some other jail, where the dormitories are likely to be larger, and the population just as overcrowded.

Comments

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thanks for more accurate and better reporting than the other of Thailand's Nearly English Language Dailies

Posted by tom on December 3, 2012 16:32

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Now all the prison has to do, is treat all the other inmates fairly, like they are now doing for Aldhouse.

I don't think I could survive on what normal prisoners get.

On a side note, I believe, that if Aldhouse is found guilty, he should be sent to America or Britain to live out his sentence, because he committed the crime against an American in a foreign country, so he should therefore be treated by the country he did the crime against, eg America.

I don't see why Thailand has to pick up the pieces.

Posted by Tbs on December 3, 2012 16:55

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To arm himself for fear of more trouble, is questionable already, why not move away instead, move on.
Why arm yourself and look to face the enemy again, follow him to his room.
Does not go well with the argument, I wanted only defend myself.
Than, the fight must have happened out or inside Aldhouse place and room!

Posted by Alfred on December 3, 2012 17:26

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Excellent Article this is whats i call Journalism Reporter! is Defense to recognized he kill without intent to give death, I believe it's to get the minimum sentence in order to him to avoid Bangkok wish is more harder ( my think)

Posted by ratatoee on December 3, 2012 17:50

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i have a Question: he as spend two years already in UK whats ever the sentence is here , do the 2 years spend in uk will be reduced with thailand sentence or none ?

Posted by ratatoee on December 3, 2012 17:53

Editor Comment:

I am fairly sure that would be ''taken into consideration'' but at present he's an innocent man, accused of a serious crime.

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@tbs : when a guy still a car at shop "Ford' or " MGM " Hotel any thing related to us property do he need to be send in US for be jailed ? i don't think so the crime are happen in Thailand land he is to be sentenced in Thailand then in order to show to the citizen or other guess Thailand don't let go thing like this ! Cheers

Posted by ratatoee on December 3, 2012 17:58

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@ Tbs...The USA has no jurisdiction here. No different if he killed two Americans or ten...They have no say. The crime was commited on foreign soil...

Posted by Ted Davis on December 3, 2012 18:27

Editor Comment:

No, the crime was committed on Thai soil. This is why we don't use the word 'foreign'.

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Thanks for the detailed update. Any idea why the girlfriend wasn't charged with aiding and abetting? Or, was she?

Posted by larry on December 3, 2012 19:25

Editor Comment:

She assisted police with inquiries.

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His girlfriend was no charged because she helped him for fear of her life. Three months prior to Dashawn's murder he beat the heck out of her and put her in a hospital. She went to the police when she returned. I don't blame her. as for his bs defense story there are way to many witnesses to him starting the fight. Also if he was so scared why did he follow Dashawn and his girlfriend back to their apartment? He meant to kill him. this was no accident or self defense. He is a monster and deserves to spend the rest of his life behind bars where what happens to him is better than he could ever deserve...

Posted by Dashawns Sister on December 4, 2012 01:38

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I agree with others - great reporting. A big question: Does he have a lawyer?

Posted by Matt on December 4, 2012 14:10

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I hope he gets the maximum, which is probably about 30 years. Only the United States keeps people locked up for over 30 years. By the time he gets out, he'll be 59 years old and ready to retire. I followed this story from the beginning, and this guy Aldhouse was nothing but a trouble maker from the word "go."

Posted by edward c. stengel on December 6, 2012 14:48

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I cannot agree with those people who keep wanting people found guilty of a crime in a foreign country to be repatriated to there home land to serve there sentences.
I believe that you should do the time where you have done the crime.
Having said that this man is innocent until proven guilty

Posted by Arthur on December 10, 2012 06:41

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The bright side of course is he'll never miss an episode of those great Thai soap operas.

Posted by Pomegranate on December 13, 2012 19:22

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He went armed with knives and took a life he deserves what he gets. lock him up and throw away the key

Posted by Anonymous on December 27, 2012 06:17

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No sympathy here for this loser Aldhouse.

Posted by Margaret on May 18, 2013 11:19

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My god you make the prison sound like a better place than it is if you want the real in site of phuket prison ask me I was there and I was there with Lee

Posted by Jsa on December 9, 2015 19:05


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