My Thailand holiday hell: I was robbed, beaten up by police, handcuffed to the bars of a cell and left to lie in a puddle of my own urine… all because I walked into a road sign

A British tourist's imagination getaway to Thailand spiraled into a surviving nightmare aft a bizarre concatenation of events saw him assaulted, jailed twice, and stripped of his belongings – each for accidentally damaging an entranceway sign.

Andrew Hopkins, 55, was staying successful an Airbnb successful sunny Pattaya erstwhile helium decided to instrumentality a late-night stroll done the neighbourhood.

But it turned into the opening of a harrowing ordeal that would travel him backmost location to the UK and haunt him for months.

Speaking to the MailOnline, Andrew recalled the horrors of his southeast Asian vacation from hellhole aft we past week showed footage of him handcuffed to his situation cell.

As Andrew made his mode retired of his flat helium mistakenly knocked into the entranceway motion of the neighbours' residence.

At 21st 8lbs, the tourer admitted to damaging the motion aft walking into it, but thing could person prepared him for the consequences helium would look arsenic a effect of his guiltless accident.

Before Andrew could process what had happened, 2 furious information guards arrived and began shouting astatine him successful Thai. 

Unable to understand, helium made the cosmopolitan motion of submission, apologised, and adjacent offered to wage for the damage. But that wasn't enough. 

Moments later, the section constabulary arrived astatine the country - and things took a convulsive turn.

'They threw maine onto the backmost of a pick-up motortruck and locked maine successful a compartment for astir 36 hours,' Andrew told the MailOnline. 

'An English feline successful determination told maine to conscionable bash what they say, and they'd fto maine go. Eventually, an Italian antheral arrived and told maine I had to wage 15,000 baht [£360] successful currency to beryllium released.' 

The holidaymaker was marched to an ATM wherever helium withdrew the wealth arsenic officers menacingly peered implicit his shoulder.

After taking retired the currency successful a panic, Andrew was taken to Pattaya's cardinal constabulary station, wherever 2 elder officers took the wealth earlier mounting him free. 

But if helium thought his troubles were over, helium was wrong. 

A video circulating online captured the wrong of a Pattaya prison which horrifically saw occurrence ants and cockroaches roaming the soiled floors, 130 inmates stuffed into 1 room, and large women handcuffed to compartment bars.

Upon returning to his Airbnb, Andrew claims helium was met with hostility.

The woman of the big was waiting astatine the beforehand desk, furiously waving his cardinal successful his look portion yelling astatine him that helium had to leave.

'She told maine they'd cancelled my booking and that I had to permission immediately,' helium said. 

'I was stunned, but I asked if I could astatine slightest instrumentality a ablution and cod my things. They agreed.'

But stepping into his apartment, Andrew noticed thing was precise wrong.

'There was a comic chemic odor – I'm definite they tried to cause me. Someone had been inside, stripped the beds, and tossed my belongings into my suitcase. But worse, my wealth and valuables had vanished.'

He claims his Cooperative Bank debit card, MBNA recognition card, telephone chargers, and a hidden stash of £1,230 successful cash, had each been stolen.

Confronting the pistillate lone made things worse.

'She started screaming astatine maine astir smoking connected the balcony. There was an ashtray retired determination – and I adjacent had a video proving it.' 

Before long, the Thai constabulary showed up erstwhile again - and this time, they were adjacent much brutal.

'They attacked me, handcuffed maine to the backmost of a pickup, and hauled maine disconnected to jailhouse again. This time, they stripped maine of each my belongings and handcuffed maine to the bars of my cell.' 

Left lying connected a grimy level with his limb raised and bound to the bars if his situation cell, Andrew was forced to urinate implicit himself.

'I'm lying connected the level connected my backmost successful a excavation of water. I request the toilet. I shouted for help, nary 1 came,' helium said.

'Eventually I had to urinate adding to the excavation of liquid I was lying in. It was disgusting and determination was nary mode to dainty a quality being'.

Recalling the experience, helium said it was the astir harrowing and dehumanising infinitesimal of his beingness - 'being stripped of my dignity having to prevarication successful my ain assemblage fluids and being beaten up for nary different crushed than questioning wherever my wealth and valuables were'.

In desperation for his circumstances to change, Andrew began singing Country Roads, God Save the King and Half the World Away astatine the apical of his voice.

Eventually, constabulary officers released him, but his nightmare was acold from over. 

His Thai telephone - a Galaxy s21, his slope cards, and much currency had each disappeared.

Worse still, his debit paper had been utilized fraudulently to the tune of £450 – and his slope refused to refund him. 

'When I told them to cheque CCTV from the 7-Eleven wherever it was used, they said they couldn't. So I'm conscionable retired of pocket,' helium said. 

And if Andrew's ordeal could not get immoderate much dire, the £480 helium had stashed successful his pouch had besides disappeared.

'My charger had gone missing, and to headdress it each disconnected my trainers and flip flops were missing, truthful I was successful my bare feet,' the disgruntled traveller said. 

'The constabulary gave maine a brace of the astir uncomfortable Adda flip flops - the 1 with the spot betwixt the toes that I hatred - but beggars can't beryllium choosers'.

Andrew was 'strangely' handed £120 successful currency earlier being, what helium described as, booted retired into the night. 

'I was ne'er formally arrested, ne'er fixed a telephone call,' helium said.   

Now backmost successful the UK, helium is inactive suffering from the fallout of the ordeal.

'I had to publication a business-class formation location with Emirates for [£1,800 due to the fact that I was successful excessively overmuch symptom to beryllium down properly,' helium said. 

'I've had infections, musculus pain, and PTSD from what happened.'

He is present pursuing claims with Airbnb's insurers and his ain question insurance, portion the UK Home Office has lodged a ceremonial ailment with Thai authorities.

'Tourist's to Thailand person zero rights successful Thailand, Thais honour different Thais, Tourist's are seen arsenic marks to beryllium fleeced and robbed astatine each opportunity,' helium warned.

His last verdict connected Thailand?

'They telephone it the Land of Smiles, but my acquisition is that they're lone affable portion you're paying. Tourists are seen arsenic casual targets to beryllium fleeced and robbed.

'If you ever find yourself successful occupation determination – enactment calm, don't rise your voice, and bash not, nether immoderate circumstances, question their authority.'