PHUKET: British kickboxer Lee ''Pitbull'' Aldhouse will serve 25 years for the murder of American Dashawn Longfellow on Phuket, a judge ruled today.
Judge Montri Sarot imposed a life sentence but reduced the term to 25 years because Aldhouse pleaded guilty.
Aldhouse was extradited from Britain to Thailand in December under a treaty that had been in place for 101 years but never previously utilised.
The murder was perhaps the Phuket crime of the century, with the British man stabbing the former American Marine twice in an ambush after the two brawled at Rawai's Freedom Bar earlier in the evening.
Stringent precautions were taken as Aldhouse left Phuket Prison today to prevent a large media contingent from photographing him.
Despite the international significance of the case, reporters were allowed to observe but not permitted to write in notebooks during the trial or today's sentencing.
After killing Longfellow in the early hours of August 14, 2010, Aldhouse fled Phuket, first crossing the border into Cambodia then catching a flight from Singapore to London's Heathrow airport.
There he was held by British officials over a minor breach committed in Britain years earlier. Soon after, Thai officials took the unusual step of seeking his extradition.
The court battle continued for years through successive appeals until Aldhouse's British lawyers reached the end of the line late last year.
It is believed that Thai officials would have been willing to build a Western-style cell specifically to house Aldhouse if that had been necessary to get him back.
Instead, a room at Phuket prison was adapted to hold just 30 prisoners compared to up to 300 in other dormitories, and that's where Aldhouse was accommodated.
Phuket Prison, built to hold about 700 inmates, today holds a record tally of 2597 people - 2139 males and 358 females - either serving sentences or awaiting trial.
Aldhouse may not stay there much longer. Prisoners sentenced to more than 15 years are usually transferred to more secure facilities in other parts of Thailand.
All prisons in Thailand are overcrowded, with 80 percent of inmates confined because of the country's ''zero tolerance'' approach to drugs.
Today's verdict is likely to be greeted with mixed feelings by Dashawn Longfellow's family and friends in the US, who campaigned strongly for a long sentence.
One wrote on special commemorative Facebook site: '' Glad justice has been served but 25 years does not seem adequate! Dashawn had much more than that taken away from him .... semper fi.''
His brother Marquis Longfellow wrote: ''25 years is not long enough.Lee took the life of our hero and because of his actions our family will never be able to see the light in my brothers eyes or the smile on his face. Lee deserves to rot and in hell. Don't get me wrong 25 years is better than nothing but it damn sure is not long enough for a man who intentionally took the life of an American hero for no other reason than a bruised ego. I hate Lee and I hope that one day karma will catch up with him ten fold so he can have a little taste of the pain he has brought to our family.''
A key piece of evidence against Aldhouse came with security came footage showing him demanding knives from a convenience store in southern Phuket, near where the two men fought.
However, police established Aldhouse first went home and picked up a larger knife then used it to stab Longfellow twice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvuYakEINGg/
Judge Montri Sarot imposed a life sentence but reduced the term to 25 years because Aldhouse pleaded guilty.
Aldhouse was extradited from Britain to Thailand in December under a treaty that had been in place for 101 years but never previously utilised.
The murder was perhaps the Phuket crime of the century, with the British man stabbing the former American Marine twice in an ambush after the two brawled at Rawai's Freedom Bar earlier in the evening.
Stringent precautions were taken as Aldhouse left Phuket Prison today to prevent a large media contingent from photographing him.
Despite the international significance of the case, reporters were allowed to observe but not permitted to write in notebooks during the trial or today's sentencing.
After killing Longfellow in the early hours of August 14, 2010, Aldhouse fled Phuket, first crossing the border into Cambodia then catching a flight from Singapore to London's Heathrow airport.
There he was held by British officials over a minor breach committed in Britain years earlier. Soon after, Thai officials took the unusual step of seeking his extradition.
The court battle continued for years through successive appeals until Aldhouse's British lawyers reached the end of the line late last year.
It is believed that Thai officials would have been willing to build a Western-style cell specifically to house Aldhouse if that had been necessary to get him back.
Instead, a room at Phuket prison was adapted to hold just 30 prisoners compared to up to 300 in other dormitories, and that's where Aldhouse was accommodated.
Phuket Prison, built to hold about 700 inmates, today holds a record tally of 2597 people - 2139 males and 358 females - either serving sentences or awaiting trial.
Aldhouse may not stay there much longer. Prisoners sentenced to more than 15 years are usually transferred to more secure facilities in other parts of Thailand.
All prisons in Thailand are overcrowded, with 80 percent of inmates confined because of the country's ''zero tolerance'' approach to drugs.
Today's verdict is likely to be greeted with mixed feelings by Dashawn Longfellow's family and friends in the US, who campaigned strongly for a long sentence.
One wrote on special commemorative Facebook site: '' Glad justice has been served but 25 years does not seem adequate! Dashawn had much more than that taken away from him .... semper fi.''
His brother Marquis Longfellow wrote: ''25 years is not long enough.Lee took the life of our hero and because of his actions our family will never be able to see the light in my brothers eyes or the smile on his face. Lee deserves to rot and in hell. Don't get me wrong 25 years is better than nothing but it damn sure is not long enough for a man who intentionally took the life of an American hero for no other reason than a bruised ego. I hate Lee and I hope that one day karma will catch up with him ten fold so he can have a little taste of the pain he has brought to our family.''
A key piece of evidence against Aldhouse came with security came footage showing him demanding knives from a convenience store in southern Phuket, near where the two men fought.
However, police established Aldhouse first went home and picked up a larger knife then used it to stab Longfellow twice.
VIDEO: Lee Aldhouse Picks Up Knives
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvuYakEINGg/
A well deserved sentence and tried/sentenced by the courts not social media. Hopefully we will see more being returned here to face trial for their alleged serious crimes- fleeing the country should no longer be perceived as an out. A number of years in a Thai prison may be cause for reflection and prevent others taking a similar course.
Posted by Mister Ree on November 28, 2013 11:25