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Stevie Bamford, from Facebook: She will serve 15 days on Phuket

Phuket Rape Case Sensation: Aussie Tourist Confesses to Lying, Sentenced to 15 Days' Jail

Friday, June 15, 2012
UPDATE

PHUKET: An Australian woman who told Phuket police that she had been raped but subsequently confessed to lying has been sentenced to 15 days in jail. Stevie Bamford told the court she invented the rape story because she feared her boyfriend would be angry that she was out late. She will be held at Bang Jo detention centre rather than in Phuket Prison.

Original Report

PHUKET: An Australian tourist who told Phuket police that she had been raped by a Patong tuk-tuk driver has confessed to police that she lied and will appear in court today to face a charge.

The 21-year-old from Sydney confessed to police in the west coast holiday hub of Patong last night after being shown security camera footage that proved she was lying, police said.

The Deputy Superintendent of Kathu Police Station, Colonel Sermphan Sirikong, told Phuketwan today: ''It's sad that tourists have to lie about this kind of thing. It could damage Phuket's tourism industry.''

The woman is to appear in Phuket Provincial Court with an Australian Embassy official by her side today.

Colonel Sermphan said the woman confessed late last night at Kathu Police Station after being shown the security camera footage.

Her boyfriend, also aged 21, was extremely angry when the woman confessed and appeared to have been misled by her through the week of lies.

The woman and her boyfriend went to Phuket police at 4am on Sunday alleging that she had been raped by a Phuket tuk-tuk driver.

Her story was that that she had become separated from her boyfriend in Patong's popular Soi Bangla walking street, and that she had caught a tuk-tuk back to the resort where she and her boyfriend were staying.

The woman told police that the tuk-tuk driver picked up two of his friends along the way, and that the tuk-tuk transported her to a quiet part of Patong where the driver raped her while the second man held her arms and the third held her legs.

Last night, after two days of intensive questioning on Monday and Tuesday, police revealed that security camera footage established that the woman caught a motorcycle taxi back to her resort.

There is nothing on the security camera footage to support the woman's argument that she caught a tuk-tuk and was raped by the driver, police told Phuketwan.

The woman told police that she held dual British and Australian citizenship, and had used her Australian passport to come to Phuket.

The men in the tuk-tuk had kept her Australian passport and some cash in a bag when she managed to break free and escape on foot, she told police.

The woman was given consular support when she was interviewed intensively over two days.

The case is now being overseen by Phuket Police Commander Major General Chonsit Wadhnawarangkun.

Rape victims cannot be named and Phuketwan has decided this case remains so unusual that the woman should not be named at this stage.

The question that most people will be asking about the case is: Why?

Comments

Comments have been disabled for this article.

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She should be ashamed for misusing all the women's agony who became victim to a rape. And she just used it to hide the fact that she cheated on her boy friend. Even no brain is no excuse. She even victimized her boyfriend with this.

That she picked on tuk tuk driver and thought, they are easy picks for a "play" like this, tells also stories of their image.

Good work by the police. I am just not happy with her having to go to jail for only two weeks. That "prank" deserves a little bit more. At least let her pay the police time and effort.

Posted by Lena on June 15, 2012 14:44

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Glad to see justice being meted out, but is it fair. Yes I believe so. She put the islands international reputation on the line and she lied. But I love the lines from Phuketwan, "Rape victims cannot be named and Phuketwan has decided this case remains so unusual that the woman should not be named at this stage." Then the caption under the photograph says, "Stevie Bamford, from Facebook: She will serve 15 days on Phuket".

Posted by Robin on June 15, 2012 15:08

Editor Comment:

Perhaps you missed the UPDATE at the top of the article, Robin. We try to avoid doctoring our original reports. Most people have probably managed to figure out that we did the right thing because there was always a remote chance of Ms Bamford being proved innocent. In other words, you score no petty-points, but instead lose some.

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Crying "wolf" on rape only makes it more difficult for genuine cases to be believed. She is a no-brain idiot who deserves her punishment and public shame.

Posted by Logic on June 15, 2012 17:16

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It's interesting that those Bangla road cameras only seem to work when they can be used to exonerate tuk tuk drivers.

Posted by Joe on June 15, 2012 17:57

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It's hard enough to convict rape cases as it is let alone with false claims being made...
And to Robin, you're better off reading the whole article before trying to make fun of the publication as you end up looking somewhat of a fool!!! 1-0 to Ed

Posted by Jamie on June 16, 2012 18:36

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15 days for farang, really? What would a Thai person get for same?

Posted by Anonymous on June 16, 2012 20:05

Editor Comment:

There is one law in Thailand for everyone, nameless first-commenter. Get used to it.

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I do not condone her actions at all but has anyone wondered why did the young lady fear the anger of her boyfriend so much that she would go to such an extreme to avoid his punishment?

Posted by Kerrie on June 17, 2012 10:03

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Ed, why have you not placed my previous comment, it is not offensive etc?

Posted by Adam on June 17, 2012 13:57

Editor Comment:

I don't think kicking a person when they are down does any good, Adam. Find something more important to get stirred up about.

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Kerrie

Who knows? Maybe she just feared getting dumped.

Posted by christian on June 17, 2012 15:53

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I know her boyfriend and never did I get any impression that he had a bad temper. Just a stupid girl not thinking about the severity of her allegations to avoid having a fight with her bf.

Posted by Bw on June 17, 2012 18:08

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From the tone of your responses back to commenters, I can only assume that you are an i****. Have a nice day.

Posted by Anonymous on June 18, 2012 08:00

Editor Comment:

Well, better an i**** than an online thug who performs the equivalent of a headbutt and thinks that's so clever. May your chooks turn to emus and kick your dunny down. (The opposite of 'have a nice day,' but not a cliche.)

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Ed, can I have your name I will call and make an complaint. Is Phuketwan a medium for democracy or a paper that blocks the truth as it is edited by a bleeding hearted liberal. This is a lady who pre-meditated lied to Police at the waste of tax payers money and caused the accused driver a great deal of stress and you think it is satisfactory. If you do not supply a name I will call an way.

Posted by Adam on June 18, 2012 19:03

Editor Comment:

Don't waste your time, Adam. No, Phuketwan is not a medium for democracy. It's a news and information site where intelligent readers are free to add intelligent comments. Making a phone call could prove you're not up to it.

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You will not give your name, enough said about you. I'll make the call anyway. Seems a few people are also unimpressed with you, but then this is not CNN or the BBC.

Posted by Adam on June 18, 2012 21:50

Editor Comment:

How astute of you. Fortunately I don't know you from Adam, Adam.

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How dare any one say anything about her she is my friend she is a great person and doesn't need any thing said about her!

Posted by bronte on June 19, 2012 03:02

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@bronte. Very good of you being her friend, she needs friends right now. When Stevie Bamford became an international news item, caught lying about a rape, she availed herself to comment, both here and overseas. She will carry this charge and criminal record for the rest of her life. It will cost her employment, she will never hold a position of trustworthiness, she will have travel issues with regards to entry into certain countries and people from all walks of life will know her as the Phuket Rape liar. She made her bed, now she can lie in it and have her cake, too.

Posted by DunB on June 19, 2012 07:54

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She deserves more then 15 days! The shame and humiliation brought upon the poor driver and his family makes her punishment seem like a joke. It's people like her that give Australians a bad name.

Posted by Jessica on June 25, 2012 19:54

Editor Comment:

What poor driver? No driver was ever identified.

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Oh my God!People are so mean, i can't even believe it. Let's worship the poor tuk-tuk driver, and punish aussie girl and make her so ashamed that she could do something to herself... Why everybody are so naive.. What if she was raped? You really think that the tuk-tuk driver would be punished??? She would still face the shame and being blamed for being too beautiful or too stupid to take a taxi at night... People would still blame her.. now think about it.. why she made a confession? i don't believe this girl was so stupid, that she decided to invent a story where tuk-tuk driver raped her just to make her bf jealous?? there are so many ways to make a bf jealous, i'm sure she knows many of'em.. good work by the police??? are you serious??? for covering the real crime and hiding the rapist?? why people have to be so stupid? do u really believe the police?? How dare anybody blame that girl?

Posted by Anonymous on June 26, 2012 14:44


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