PHUKET: Australian embassy officials and Thai authorities fear ''cry rape'' liar Stevie Bamford is going to tell more fibs on national television this week to gain revenge and make a name for herself.
Ms Bamford, 20, served 15 days in a detention centre on Phuket in July for making a false rape claim to Phuket police.
The Sydney woman - daughter of well-known former rugby league player Peter Tunks - said she was raped early one morning in June by the driver of a tuk-tuk, the local form of taxi on Phuket.
But security camera footage and medical evidence established beyond doubt that she was lying.
Despite her lies, Phuket police and Australian embassy officials remained supportive and treated her with care and consideration at all times, envoys and officers told Phuketwan today.
Now the online trailer for the Australian national current affairs show 'Today Tonight' indicates that Ms Bamford appears to lack a grasp of reality and fails to understand the harm that her lies have caused.
The trailer, promoting an interview that could be screened in Australia as early as Monday night, claims the segment is ''an investigation into how a young Australian woman went from being the victim of a sexual assault on an overseas trip to being treated like a criminal by the authorities.''
The 30-seconds of footage includes shots of razor wire on prison walls, grim clanking prison gates, and Ms Bamford saying: ''I can remember being held down on the floor. I couldn't move . . .''
The truth is quite different. There was never any sexual assault, envoys and police officers told Phuketwan today.
Ms Bamford was ''treated like a criminal'' in the most gentle fashion, and only after a judge found her guilty of lying to police about a rape that did not happen.
Phuket police and Australian embassy officials now believe a gullible television journalist has fallen for Ms Bamford's lies, and ask whether she is being paid to tell her story.
It's extremely rare for Australian embassy officials and Phuket police to be so united on an issue concerning the safety of an Australian tourist.
During nine hours of questioning by Phuket police in June about the alleged rape, Australian honorary consul Larry Cunnimgham, who was present over two days of interviews, consistently defended Ms Bamford and made sure her rights were upheld.
Mr Cunningham was so keeen to protect the young Australian woman that the police later complained to the embassy about his conduct.
When Ms Bamford eventually admitted that she lied and confessed to police, Mr Cunningham was among those most shocked.
Yet now, Mr Cunningham and the police who complained about him agree that Ms Bamford appears to be an unrepentant troublemaker, bent on making more mischief.
''Her lies have made the claims of genuine rape victims more likely to be met with scepticism in Thailand,'' one envoy said today.
''And now it looks as though, for her own selfish motives, she wants to try to talk Australian tourists out of visiting Thailand.''
When Ms Bamford faced court in July, two embassy officials came to Phuket from Bangkok to assist her. They protected her from the media.
After the sentence, she was even allowed to continue her holiday for as long as she wished.
Weeks later, she was shown both the Phuket Prison, where overcrowding is a problem, and the Bang Jo detention centre, where young prisoners are usually housed.
Given the choice of places to serve her sentence, Ms Bamford chose the Bang Jo detention centre. There is no razor wire at Bang Jo and it's considered to be a well-run facility for trusted prisoners.
''Not many Australians in trouble in Thailand are offered those kinds of choices,'' said the envoy. ''The Thai authorities could not have been more gentle or caring with Ms Bamford.''
She was even allowed to continue her holiday after release before choosing her own departure date. Convicted Australian criminals in Thailand are usually flown home as soon as their sentence is completed.
It's understood from the promotion that next week's 'Today Tonight' will trot out the usual often-repeated claims about police in Thailand.
However, in the case of Stevie Bamford, the real news story is the exact opposite to the guesswork provided by instant television experts.
Here, for those who will and those who won't have the chance to see the television show, is an accurate guide to what took place, based on what people close to the case have told Phuketwan:
THE SECURITY CAMERA EVIDENCE
When Stevie Bamford told police in the west coast Phuket holiday hub of Patong that she had been raped, police took her complaint seriously and began an investigation immediately.
However, as the questions continued, they noted that her long fingernails remained unbroken.
They also became even more suspicious when Ms Bamford and her boyfriend resumed their holiday immediately, uncharacteristic behavior for someone who had just been raped.
In the days that followed, police in Patong quickly gathered all the evidence they could.
The most telling evidence proved to be footage from security cameras mounted in nightclubs and bars and on the roadway along Soi Bangla.
One owner of a bar in Soi Bangla, Patong's famous walking street, told Phuketwan: ''The police did a very thorough job. They took security camera footage from virtually all the bars. They did everything by the book.''
According to several people who have seen the footage, the cameras showed Ms Bamford having an argument with her boyfriend at midnight. He headed home to their resort room.
She continued to enjoy herself at a nightclub. At 3.04am, the security cameras show Ms Bamford talking to a tuk-tuk driver at the beach road end of Soi Bangla - presumably negotiating a fare. The conversation ends quickly and she talks instead to motorcycle taxi rider nearby, hops on the back of the motorcycle, and rides off.
Security camera footage shows Ms Bamford arriving back at her resort at 3.11am. She needed money to pay the motorcycle rider but had none.
When she tried to enter the room, it became obvious that the room was locked from the inside. With the motorcycle rider and a receptionist at Ms Bamford's shoulder, the door was eventually opened.
The motorcycle taxi driver said the fare was 100 baht (about $3 Australian) but because he had not been paid promptly and had been kept waiting, 200 baht would be fairer.
Ms Bamford's boyfriend, who had been in the room, threw the money at the motorcycle taxi rider. The motorcycle rider left, but not before noticing - as the receptionist did - that the room had been throughly trashed, apparently by Ms Bamford's boyfriend.
Four days later, Ms Bamford was shown the security camera footage and confessed that she had told a lie about being raped by a tuk-tuk driver - while being held down by two of his companions. She was afraid her boyfriend might be angry.
The boyfriend, who was with Ms Bamford when she saw the footage, turned to her and said: ''Why did you lie to me?''
THE MEDICAL EVIDENCE
Ms Bamford agreed to undergo tests at Patong Hospital. The examining doctor found no sperm, and no signs of bruising or any kind of physical evidence of rape. As police had already noted, her long fingernails were intact.
WHAT PHUKET POLICE SAY
Colonel Kittipong Klaikeaw, the present Deputy Superintendent of Kathu Police Station, which oversees Patong, said today: ''The facts are the facts. It's her right to go on television or radio, but let's not overlook the truth. When we interviewed Ms Bamford, an embassy representative was present al all times. The security camera footage is absolutely conclusive. We gave her a fair and honest hearing, and in the end, she was given a just sentence.''
Colonel Sermphan Sirikong, Superintendent of Kathu Police Station at the time of the Bamford case: ''The first time Ms Bamford came to talk to police, we believed she had been raped. We began a serious investigation. It's our job to make sure tourists are safe on Phuket. As we questioned other people, we discovered there was no supporting evidence for her story. We decided to check what the security camera footage revealed, and the cameras told us all we needed to know. We treated Ms Bamford with respect at all times. When she and her boyfriend said they wanted to change resorts, we even helped them to find a new one.''
The Thai Embassy in Canberra is believed to be likely to lodge a formal complaint with the Australian government if this week's television portrayal of the ''cry rape'' case produces more lies and damages Phuket's reputation.
The promotional trailer can be seen at:
http://au.news.yahoo.com/today-tonight/video/watch/30373529/coming-up-on-today-tonight/
Ms Bamford, 20, served 15 days in a detention centre on Phuket in July for making a false rape claim to Phuket police.
The Sydney woman - daughter of well-known former rugby league player Peter Tunks - said she was raped early one morning in June by the driver of a tuk-tuk, the local form of taxi on Phuket.
But security camera footage and medical evidence established beyond doubt that she was lying.
Despite her lies, Phuket police and Australian embassy officials remained supportive and treated her with care and consideration at all times, envoys and officers told Phuketwan today.
Now the online trailer for the Australian national current affairs show 'Today Tonight' indicates that Ms Bamford appears to lack a grasp of reality and fails to understand the harm that her lies have caused.
The trailer, promoting an interview that could be screened in Australia as early as Monday night, claims the segment is ''an investigation into how a young Australian woman went from being the victim of a sexual assault on an overseas trip to being treated like a criminal by the authorities.''
The 30-seconds of footage includes shots of razor wire on prison walls, grim clanking prison gates, and Ms Bamford saying: ''I can remember being held down on the floor. I couldn't move . . .''
The truth is quite different. There was never any sexual assault, envoys and police officers told Phuketwan today.
Ms Bamford was ''treated like a criminal'' in the most gentle fashion, and only after a judge found her guilty of lying to police about a rape that did not happen.
Phuket police and Australian embassy officials now believe a gullible television journalist has fallen for Ms Bamford's lies, and ask whether she is being paid to tell her story.
It's extremely rare for Australian embassy officials and Phuket police to be so united on an issue concerning the safety of an Australian tourist.
During nine hours of questioning by Phuket police in June about the alleged rape, Australian honorary consul Larry Cunnimgham, who was present over two days of interviews, consistently defended Ms Bamford and made sure her rights were upheld.
Mr Cunningham was so keeen to protect the young Australian woman that the police later complained to the embassy about his conduct.
When Ms Bamford eventually admitted that she lied and confessed to police, Mr Cunningham was among those most shocked.
Yet now, Mr Cunningham and the police who complained about him agree that Ms Bamford appears to be an unrepentant troublemaker, bent on making more mischief.
''Her lies have made the claims of genuine rape victims more likely to be met with scepticism in Thailand,'' one envoy said today.
''And now it looks as though, for her own selfish motives, she wants to try to talk Australian tourists out of visiting Thailand.''
When Ms Bamford faced court in July, two embassy officials came to Phuket from Bangkok to assist her. They protected her from the media.
After the sentence, she was even allowed to continue her holiday for as long as she wished.
Weeks later, she was shown both the Phuket Prison, where overcrowding is a problem, and the Bang Jo detention centre, where young prisoners are usually housed.
Given the choice of places to serve her sentence, Ms Bamford chose the Bang Jo detention centre. There is no razor wire at Bang Jo and it's considered to be a well-run facility for trusted prisoners.
''Not many Australians in trouble in Thailand are offered those kinds of choices,'' said the envoy. ''The Thai authorities could not have been more gentle or caring with Ms Bamford.''
She was even allowed to continue her holiday after release before choosing her own departure date. Convicted Australian criminals in Thailand are usually flown home as soon as their sentence is completed.
It's understood from the promotion that next week's 'Today Tonight' will trot out the usual often-repeated claims about police in Thailand.
However, in the case of Stevie Bamford, the real news story is the exact opposite to the guesswork provided by instant television experts.
Here, for those who will and those who won't have the chance to see the television show, is an accurate guide to what took place, based on what people close to the case have told Phuketwan:
THE SECURITY CAMERA EVIDENCE
When Stevie Bamford told police in the west coast Phuket holiday hub of Patong that she had been raped, police took her complaint seriously and began an investigation immediately.
However, as the questions continued, they noted that her long fingernails remained unbroken.
They also became even more suspicious when Ms Bamford and her boyfriend resumed their holiday immediately, uncharacteristic behavior for someone who had just been raped.
In the days that followed, police in Patong quickly gathered all the evidence they could.
The most telling evidence proved to be footage from security cameras mounted in nightclubs and bars and on the roadway along Soi Bangla.
One owner of a bar in Soi Bangla, Patong's famous walking street, told Phuketwan: ''The police did a very thorough job. They took security camera footage from virtually all the bars. They did everything by the book.''
According to several people who have seen the footage, the cameras showed Ms Bamford having an argument with her boyfriend at midnight. He headed home to their resort room.
She continued to enjoy herself at a nightclub. At 3.04am, the security cameras show Ms Bamford talking to a tuk-tuk driver at the beach road end of Soi Bangla - presumably negotiating a fare. The conversation ends quickly and she talks instead to motorcycle taxi rider nearby, hops on the back of the motorcycle, and rides off.
Security camera footage shows Ms Bamford arriving back at her resort at 3.11am. She needed money to pay the motorcycle rider but had none.
When she tried to enter the room, it became obvious that the room was locked from the inside. With the motorcycle rider and a receptionist at Ms Bamford's shoulder, the door was eventually opened.
The motorcycle taxi driver said the fare was 100 baht (about $3 Australian) but because he had not been paid promptly and had been kept waiting, 200 baht would be fairer.
Ms Bamford's boyfriend, who had been in the room, threw the money at the motorcycle taxi rider. The motorcycle rider left, but not before noticing - as the receptionist did - that the room had been throughly trashed, apparently by Ms Bamford's boyfriend.
Four days later, Ms Bamford was shown the security camera footage and confessed that she had told a lie about being raped by a tuk-tuk driver - while being held down by two of his companions. She was afraid her boyfriend might be angry.
The boyfriend, who was with Ms Bamford when she saw the footage, turned to her and said: ''Why did you lie to me?''
THE MEDICAL EVIDENCE
Ms Bamford agreed to undergo tests at Patong Hospital. The examining doctor found no sperm, and no signs of bruising or any kind of physical evidence of rape. As police had already noted, her long fingernails were intact.
WHAT PHUKET POLICE SAY
Colonel Kittipong Klaikeaw, the present Deputy Superintendent of Kathu Police Station, which oversees Patong, said today: ''The facts are the facts. It's her right to go on television or radio, but let's not overlook the truth. When we interviewed Ms Bamford, an embassy representative was present al all times. The security camera footage is absolutely conclusive. We gave her a fair and honest hearing, and in the end, she was given a just sentence.''
Colonel Sermphan Sirikong, Superintendent of Kathu Police Station at the time of the Bamford case: ''The first time Ms Bamford came to talk to police, we believed she had been raped. We began a serious investigation. It's our job to make sure tourists are safe on Phuket. As we questioned other people, we discovered there was no supporting evidence for her story. We decided to check what the security camera footage revealed, and the cameras told us all we needed to know. We treated Ms Bamford with respect at all times. When she and her boyfriend said they wanted to change resorts, we even helped them to find a new one.''
The Thai Embassy in Canberra is believed to be likely to lodge a formal complaint with the Australian government if this week's television portrayal of the ''cry rape'' case produces more lies and damages Phuket's reputation.
The promotional trailer can be seen at:
http://au.news.yahoo.com/today-tonight/video/watch/30373529/coming-up-on-today-tonight/
Bogan
Posted by john on August 26, 2012 13:12